CHAPTER 79

Days earlier, Hood’s running late for work. He’s about ten blocks away when a plane flies into his office.

His spot at the Cellar tonight is cancelled. The club’s closed.

The next day, Ava opens the Olive Tree again.

Ava: I live upstairs so I came down here and opened up.

Noam: We couldn’t get deliveries though.

Ava: I went to 14th Street and I got them from there with the shopping cart.

Noam: I remember the first day was easier, and then the couple of days later it became harder and they wouldn’t let people down, but they would let the vendors come down to deliver.

Ava: I called Manny. Manny was … He couldn’t get here because of the trains and he was like, ‘Whatever you want to do.’ And I remember, it sounds corny to say, but I had just been talking to my sister who lives in Israel and I’d said, ‘How do you keep going about your business? How do you survive with children?’ And she said, ‘The trick is just to keep like the same as normal. Just keep it as normal.’ And for some reason that came into my head.

The Cellar opens again after three days.