I traced the edge of my dental scaler through the fabric of my coat pocket.

The metal tip steadied me.

My other hand gripped the white cardboard.

The edges dug into my palm.

I stepped a little forward from the crowd, holding card forty-seven at my side.

The north wind whipped across the frozen gravel of the driveway.

Pickup trucks lined both sides of the county road, stretching out of sight past the aluminum mailbox.

More than sixty people stood huddled in the yard in heavy canvas work coats, thick wool caps pulled down tight over their ears.