Late afternoon is slipping into evening as she steps onto the street. A blue 
and white Minuteman Security bus grinds up the block, heading toward the House 
of Correction. The blare of air horns and a low rumbling signal the passage of a 
train along the tracks off to the west. She walks that way, west. A few blocks 
and she’s at the Hunan Mayfair, a little storefront restaurant mashed between a
German deli and a pizzeria. The display in the window flashes the words "Kung Po
Beef! Hot! Stir fried with water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, and peanuts in hot & 
spicy pepper sauce!" She steps inside, takes a seat at one of the plastic
booths, and orders a plate of the Kung Po.