1
“Yes, I was in Santa Cruz for the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. It happened at exactly 5:04 in the afternoon which I knew because that was the time when all the clocks stopped when the power cut out. I had just gotten home and was in my kitchen when the rumbling started and then the whole house was shaking and the noise was like a subway car was passing through. Absolutely deafening. Cabinets opened and everything spilled out, there was maple syrup all over the floor, and my bookshelves had tipped and books are all over. You should have seen it. Unbelievable. Fifteen seconds later it was all over and you could hear sirens all over town and nobody had electricity and there was this water main break in my neighborhood which looked like a geyser, what’s that one in Yellowstone, oh, right Old Faithful, it reminded me of that—”
“I was in Los Angeles in 1994 for the Northridge earthquake.”
“The Santa Cruz one was much bigger. 7.1 compared to 6.7 on the Richter scale, and 63 killed compared to 57. Most of the dead were from the Oakland freeway collapse and a couple from when a section of decking on the Bay Bridge fell onto the deck below, but in Santa Cruz one person died when the brick façade of the bookstore collapses on them and another person . . .”
2
“Yes, I was in Santa Cruz for the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. It happened at exactly 5:04 in the afternoon which I knew because that was the time when all the clocks stopped when the power cut out.”
“That must have been terrifying.”
“In a way, yes, but I’ve felt earthquakes before. This one was a lot bigger—the biggest I’ve ever been in—but at the time I didn’t realize the extent of the destruction. No one did. At first, there’s no way of knowing. Have you ever felt an earthquake?”
“I was in Los Angeles in 1994 for the Northridge earthquake.”
“That was a big one too. What was it like?”
“I was driving, luckily on a side street with no traffic, but my car suddenly jerked to one side and then I could see the pavement undulating. I was able to stop and I was fine. And my house escaped any damage.”
“I couldn’t stop thinking that a much bigger quake could happen—in fact, will happen. It was an uneasy feeling to always have in the back of my mind. That’s why I decided to move back East.”
“Hey, me too. I know that exact feeling. Although now we have blizzards and hurricanes to contend with.”
“At least we get warnings for those.”
“True that.”
“What do you say to another beer? That one went down quick.”
“Let’s do it.”
3
I’ve never felt an earthquake, never lived in California. But I should say something. I’m just standing here like an idiot. Although he doesn’t seem to care whether anyone says anything or not. He probably prefers if no one else speaks. I know the Richter scale isn’t used any longer to measure earthquake strength, but that doesn’t seem like the right thing to say. Besides, they’ve gone past that. They don’t want to hear that. Maybe one of them will ask me if I’ve ever felt an earthquake. I’ll have to say no. But should I say I think it would be kind of neat to be in one as long as it wasn’t too big? I should say something. Good, now it’s hurricanes and blizzards. I’ve been in plenty of blizzards. Hey, guys . . . Oh, they’re heading to the bar.
