Alarm

Ben

“But all that money, though? You had to be living the life,” Tyler said.

I shrugged. “I guess so, but there’s more to life than just money. And doing something I didn’t like was soul-crushing. Happiness can’t be bought.”

“That’s some fortune cookie shit.” Tyler laughed.

Less than an hour later, we got our first call. We pulled on our gear in no time and jumped into the truck.

Ted was driving. I sat next to Sam with Tyler and Jay on the back of the truck.

“House fire,” Ted said as we pulled up. “Doesn’t look too serious.”

A woman in her dressing gown ran toward the truck, her face contorted in fear. A small boy tagged along behind her. He looked scared and lost.

“It’s a fire in the kitchen,” she said. She was close to tears. “I tried to put it out, but it spread too quickly. It jumped to the curtains.”

“You were right to get out, ma’am,” Tyler said. “Please, stay close to the truck. We’ll take care of it.”

Sam and Ted assessed the house. Smoke billowed from one window only. It looked small enough to handle without difficulty.

Tyler and I moved around the back of the house while Sam went in through the front. We reached the kitchen at the same time. The stove was on fire, and the curtains next to it had caught alight as the woman had said. The fire moved to the tablecloth as we arrived.

“We got here just in time,” Tyler said, aiming a handheld fire extinguisher at the stove. “Start from that end, and we’ll meet each other in the middle so it doesn’t get away from us.”

I nodded and aimed my extinguisher at the table. Sam moved through the rest of the house, checking if anything else was wrong. Tyler and I made quick work of it, putting out the fire in no time. When it was done, the kitchen smelled like burned cloth. The pan on the stove was blackened with charred food in it.

“Looks like Sam’s cooking,” Tyler said.

“You don’t need fire extinguishers when I cook,” Sam said, coming into the kitchen. “The rest of the house is clear.”

“Maybe we should consider it,” Tyler said, still mocking Sam about his food. Sam rolled his eyes, and I laughed.

“Let’s get out there and report to Ted,” Sam said. “He’ll be talking to the family about what could have happened.”

We left the house, sure that everything would be safe.

“Do you have insurance?” Ted was asking the woman who stood with the little boy clinging to her legs.

“I do,” she said. She looked less panicked but still on the verge of tears. “I’ll have to contact my husband. He has all the information.”

“Is he around?”

She nodded. “He’s at the office. I’ve already called him after I called the station.”

“Is everything okay?” she asked when she saw us coming toward her.

“Everything is under control, ma’am,” Tyler said. “It’s nothing too serious. Do you know how the fire started?”

The little boy started crying.

“James was trying to cook breakfast for me. I was in the bedroom for a moment. I thought he was watching television. If I’d known he was in the kitchen, I wouldn’t have left him alone.”

“Don’t worry, ma’am. This isn’t a case of negligence. Right, buddy?” Ted kneeled in front of the boy who looked like he was going to break down in hysterics.

“Hey, don’t worry,” I said, stepping closer. I had an idea what had happened. “Do you see Sam, here? He burns our food all the time. Even when we’re right next to him.”

The little boy looked at Sam. “Really?”

“Really,” Sam said with a sigh.

“I was just trying to surprise Mommy,” he said. “She makes eggs all the time. I watch her. I don’t know why I couldn’t.”

“That’s okay,” I said. “The most important things are that you’re both safe, we stopped the fire, and you learned a lesson. What will you do next time?”

“Ask Mommy to help me.”

“What a champion,” I said.

“I’m sorry, Mommy,” he said, looking up at his mom.

“Don’t worry, baby. We’re okay.”

She scooped him up. Two seconds later, a car skidded into the driveway and a man jumped out. I assumed he was the father. He ran to his wife and son, relief clear on his face.

“I think our work is done here,” Ted said. “Well done, Ben. You did well. And apparently, kids like you more than they like me.”

“It’s the face,” I said

Ted laughed and pulled himself back into the truck. As we drove back to the station, I looked out of the window at Portland sliding by. I was happy where I was. I helped put out a fire today, and helping people made me happy. Happier than I had been the last six years. I hoped my dad was looking down on me from somewhere, proud of the choices I’d made.

I had never been very close to my dad. I stayed behind with my mom in Portland when he’d moved to New York and remarried. But it was the curse of every son that he wanted his father to approve of him, no matter how easy or hard that was. I hoped my father would approve of the person I had become and the life I’d chosen to live despite what he’d set up for me. I knew he had cared, but I was my own person.

“What did you think?” Tyler asked when we had taken care of everything we had used and put our gear away. We sat on camping chairs on the roof of the fire station with sodas in our hands.

“I think this is exactly where I want to be,” I said.

“Good,” Tyler said. “You’re a ton of fun.”