Some landlords stopped replying when I mentioned my daughter.
Others wanted more than I earned in a month.
By the end of the week, I had begun to understand how quickly fear could settle into a person’s body.
It lived in my stomach. It tightened my chest whenever my phone rang. It followed me into every conversation.
Then I found a handwritten advertisement taped inside the window of a small grocery store.
« GARAGE APARTMENT FOR RENT. PALMER STREET. $800. ASK FOR ALVAREZ. »
I stared at the paper for so long that the cashier finally asked if I needed help.
« Is this still available? » I asked.
She glanced at the notice.
« You’ll have to ask him. »
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