Life As We Knew It

May 18 begins like any other day for Miranda. Her mother tries calling their dad but the phone lines are all busy. Miranda looks at the half moon in the sky and thinks about the moon event scheduled to take place that night. At school, people seem to be going on about their lives as normal. Sammi, for instance, is complaining about the dress code for prom, while Megan sits with her church friends on the bus. When Miranda returns home, her mother tells her to finish her homework early so they can have a party. They invite their close friend and neighbor, Mrs. Nesbitt, over, and Miranda’s mother makes chocolate chip cookies. Miranda notes that all CNN is talking about is the moon event, and the astronomers seem very excited about the event.

The family brings their lawn chairs out to the front of the house, where they see all of their other neighbors are gathered and in a festive mood. Around 9:30, Jonny spots the asteroid through the telescope, and everyone cheers as it moves toward the moon. Staring up at the asteroid, Miranda says she feels like “I was every 16-year-old in history, not knowing what the skies foretold about my future” (18). When the asteroid hits, however, the reality of the event also hits the viewers. People began to panic. Some people jump in their cars and speed off, while others scream and run inside their houses. Jonny asks his mother if the world is going to end, and she tells them all to go inside. Miranda notes that the moon is no longer a half moon, but seems closer and more ominous; it is a three-quarter moon now. Somehow, the asteroid seems to have moved the moon closer to earth.

Inside, the family is unable to get CNN, or any other channel other than the local news, and Miranda’s mother tries to reach Matt on the phone but the lines seem to be down. They hear a neighbor shout that she has no cellphone reception, and Miranda comments that “Civilization has ended” (21). Later, Matt finally calls to say he is fine, but he has had to use a payphone. He still plans on coming home in a few weeks. The family sits down to try and learn something about what is happening, with Miranda’s mother assuring them that their family is fine and that things will be alright.

Miranda says that something had been miscalculated in regard to the moon event. Before the astronomers can explain what has happened, a bulletin appears on the local news. As a result of the moon event, widespread tsunamis have been reported. The eastern seaboard has been decimated, with twenty-foot waves in New York City; the Statue of Liberty has even been washed out to sea. The extent of the damage is unknown, as every major city has been affected. The president then makes a statement, and Miranda’s mother calls him an “idiot.” Miranda tries to call her dad and grandmother in Las Vegas again, but is unable to reach anyone. Her mother finally turns off the television and tells them to go to bed. While in bed, Miranda listens to the news reports being broadcast on the radio, which now say that the West Coast is sustaining untold damage from tsunamis.

Miranda wakes up on May 19 and hears her mother’s phone ringing. To their relief, it is her father, who says that both he and Lisa are fine; he was able to reach the kids’ grandmother in Las Vegas and she is also fine. He tells Miranda that the best thing for them to do is to get on with their lives and to be grateful that they can. Miranda then asks her mom about the news reports of natural disasters. Her mother says that things are starting and stopping all over, and that the situation can best be described as catastrophic. With so much destruction, it is hard to know how much loss has been sustained around the world. For a moment, Miranda forgets that the moon affects the entire planet, and not just the United States. The prevailing theory is that the moon was knocked off of its axis by the asteroid and pushed closer to earth, causing the huge tides that are destroying coastal cities.

While Miranda waits for the bus to school, she looks at the ominous moon which is visible in the sky, but quickly turns her attention elsewhere. On the bus, half the kids are absent, and many of the girls are crying. All anyone seems to be talking about is the moon event. Miranda notes that her homeroom is nearly empty and, as the teacher tries to start the lesson as if everything is fine, a thunderstorm hits. Teenagers cry out in fear, and the teacher asks them instead how many people knew someone affected by the tsunamis: almost everyone in the room raises their hand. Suddenly, lightning strikes a tree outside the school and it bursts into flames; then all of the electricity goes out. Panic ensues and, thinking there is a hurricane, the teacher has the students evacuate to the hallways, where other students are hunkered down. Amidst the screams of other students, Miranda begins to laugh at how surreal things feel.

As the students finally return to their classroom, Miranda’s mom appears, soaking wet. She tells Miranda to get her things. Miranda thinks something bad has happened to someone, perhaps her dad or Matt. When she gets into the car, she sees Jonny and Mrs. Nesbitt. Miranda’s mother hands her an envelope full of cash and tells her that they are going to the supermarket to stock up on provisions. Miranda’s mother noticed earlier in the day that the price of gas had already gone up, and while she was at the supermarket, everyone buying a huge amount of groceries. As a result she decided that they need to stock up on everything they can possibly get their hands on.

As they pull into the supermarket parking lot, Miranda gets a sense of how desperate people are. There are physical fights in the parking lot, and people are running around brawling for carts. The family plan to fill up their wagons with as much as possible and then return to the car to unload before going back inside for more. Inside the store is just as hectic as outside, with people fighting and running around. Miranda is excited as she races around the store, stocking up on vitamins and food. At one point, a man tries to steal Mrs. Nesbitt’s wagon, and Miranda rams her own wagon into him. When they have fit as much as they can into the van, they drive off, but Mrs. Nesbitt suggests stopping at a strip mall, where they again stock up on other provisions. They finally make it home, help Mrs. Nesbitt unload her share of provisions, and then unload theirs. When they finally finish, Miranda’s mother thanks them, and then starts crying.