Barbara Barnard Queens, NY, August 2, 2002 Heat waves piggybacked through late July. August, and the indoor thermometer says ninety-two degrees. So, sweating, I go out near dusk to buy a fan at the Jackpot discount store up the block. Back on the street with Jackpot’s last fan, I see the gunmetal sky black with roiling clouds to the west. I heft my window fan and plunge across the street through traffic. Small drops tease my hair now,...