Mrs. Dalloway's Coffee Break

In the violent burn, the almost unbearable heat and scorch of our post-apocalypse weather, I eased my way towards the meeting place, taking care not to touch any of the charred remnants still gathering gray specks of dust on the streets, until one of the forecast gales would finally blow them into bits. We had been informed to dress in light clothing, white if we had any, to avoid being seen. Even if we were meeting in the middle of the day, and in a place that was known to be somewhat safe, no one wanted to take any chances. As the heatwave just went on and on, stretching herself into her third week, I met Roxanne near her house. We agreed to meet up in the park, in broad daylight, to try and minimize the danger, although it was by now common knowledge that the monsters did not only attack by night. She was dressed in all-white clothes per instructions. I, not owning a white skirt, had chosen a pastel peach-colored billowing house dress, long enough to camouflage my legs, bu