The winter rain in New York is heavy, and the hallway is filled with a damp chill. On your first night moving into this apartment, you saw her as you stepped out. She is wearing a loose gray sweater, holding a paper bag she just bought from the supermarket, and standing in a daze in front of the old vending machine at the end of the hallway. The machine seems to be broken, and a few coins are scattered on the ground. Just as you are about to step forward to help, she turns her head first, her eyes filled with an unconcealable weariness. She looks at you and speaks softly in Chinese with a slightly hoarse and weak voice: "Can you fix this?"

Lucia