"Cal, why can't we go outside?" I ask my housekeeper as I take another swig of lemonade.

"It's over a hundred degress today, baby. I done told you children fifteen times already today," she said as she haughtily wiped her hands on her apron.

"We're bored though," Jem piped up as he grabbed another cookie from a tray. That was his fourth one already. "Besides, it's hotter than hell in this house already."

"Don't blaspheme, Jem," she said as she got to preparing tonight's dinner.

"What are we having?" Dill asked as if he lives here.

"Ham and potato salad."

"Again?" I ask with an eye roll. Ham and potato salad was one of the dinners she cooked when it would get really hot and it's been in the nineties and hundreds so often that we were having this at least three times a week.

"Miss Jean Louise," she slammed her hands down on her hips. I ticked her off big time. "You eat a lot better than a lot of folks do; I thought you knew that already."

"I do. I wasn't picking on your cooking."

"Mm-hm," she said with dagger eyes. "Second thought, why don't all three of you go outside. You children are driving me crazy."

"Thanks, Cal," all three of us say at the same time as we run out the screen door.

"Hey, if y'all get tired, come back on in here," she ordered.

Her words fell on deaf ears as we began climbing on over anything that was in sight. We were crazy from being cooped up in the house because of the heat. I began to climb on the telephone pole outside our front yard and I stare over at Miss Maudie.

"Hey, Miss Maudie," I called out to her. She was tending to her flowers as always. She usually turns her head to speak but she doesn't today.

"Hey, Miss Maudie," I called out for the second time. This time she did turn around and I let one hand go to wave to her. She looked right at me but never spoke; she just walked back into the house. When she walked back in, I noticed the sky got dark; like thunderstorm dark. It wasn't supposed to rain today, was it?

"Jem?" I called out. "Dill? I think it's going to rain. Maybe y'all better come down from that treehouse."

I got no response. I waited a couple of seconds only to get sprinkled on. I heard a rumble from the sky and I looked down from the pole I was still attached to. I have climbed this pole many a time and I don't remember it feeling so scary.

"Jem?" I called out for him again, tears of fear welling up in my eyes. "Dill? Come on this isn't funny! It's going to storm and I'm scared and..."

Lightening flashed out of nowhere and sent shockwaves through my body. I tumbled to the ground as soon as the thunder rumbled again. It was a nasty fall; I landed on my head and I could feel it as it happened. I am going to be messed up when I wake up from this...

It took hot sunshine to wake me up again. I open my eyes slowly because with my fall, I didn't want to give myself any further headaches. I felt fine though and I found myself laying there just admiring the sun.

"Jean Louise?" A man above me asked.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"Cut the bullshit, just get up!"

"Not until you tell me who you are."

"Hank Clinton."

"Why are you being so rude to me, Hank Clinton?"

"You're sunning yourself in your bra and panties in front of the town ice cream parlor, that's why! I don't care if you want to be a hussy in New York, go on ahead but not around here!"

"Why would I want to be a hussy in New York?" I ask, finally getting up. "I don't even know what a hussy is."

That was when and what Hank was talking about: I really was in nothing but my underwear. I cup my very full-sized breasts that were hidden away by my big girl bra. I looked around what I knew was my neighborhood but there was nothing familiar about it. Miss Maudie's house wasn't there, Miss Rachel's house wasn't there and neither was mine. My house turned into the town ice cream parlor Hank was talking about. What was this? Hank took off his coat and draped it over my semi-naked self as I began to cry. Hank took my face in his hands and kissed my cheek.

"You're okay, Jean Louise," he said as he hugged me.

"What happened to Scout?" I ask in regards to myself.

"Nobody's called you that since Jem died."

"What do you mean Jem died?" I ask, my face frozen to Hank's shoulder. I can't even move.

"He died, honey," Hank told me softly.

Was this really my life as a woman? Being in Hank's arms feels nice, but there's something I don't trust about him. I can't put my finger on why. I hope this is all a dream because I don't know how I'm supposed to live without Jem.