Fugue #101

The newspaper headline, a year later: Town feels void of the missing.

Lonnie West is still waiting for her front door to open. For the sound of work boots in the front hall. For the familiar "Hey, babe! What’s cooking?" from the door to the kitchen, where she prepares dinner every afternoon.

On August 14, one year ago, West’s husband Tom, along with seven others, died when the County grain elevator exploded during pre-harvest maintenance Twelve persons were seriously injured. "It’s like it hasn’t sunken in yet," said West. "I still put two plates on the table, and set two places every night." West has tried to find a sense of normalcy by "keeping to old routines," but she says, "it’s hard because so much has changed."

And she is not alone. Other families are also having a trouble moving on from one of the biggest disasters in Siouxland history.

The article mentions Gene, and his parents - but not Paul.