This was unavoidable. The neighborhood was full of people who had bought their houses in 2015 for $400,000 and were now sitting on $1.2 million of borrowed equity. They spoke about interest rates the way sailors spoke about tides—with superstitious dread and the quiet certainty that the water would eventually rise to kill them all.
John walked to the edge of the pool. The water was still now, smooth as glass, reflecting the first stars. He thought about the word foreclosure . He thought about the word liquidity . He thought about the word person , which was his last name and also his condition—the state of being a single, fragile thing in a world that did not care about fragility. john persons pool party
And when he came back up, the party was over. This was unavoidable
John put his phone in his pocket. “Is there a reason you came? To gloat?” John walked to the edge of the pool