Despite her circumstances, Granny Ng was quite good at keeping herself clean and presentable. She bathed and did laundry in public washrooms, and even looked respectable enough to occasionally pass through shining hotel lobbies and use their bathrooms. She was careful to avoid going to the same hotels too often and to bring only one or two garments at a time to wash. Once, noticing the suspicious gaze of the bathroom attendant, she said she’d spilled something on herself in the restaurant and wanted to get the stain out. But maintaining a neat appearance wasn’t always helpful: people found it difficult to believe that the well-kempt old woman sitting on the pedestrian flyover really needed to beg. Some of them would say, “Come on Granny, you’ve had your fun. Now, stop slumming it and go home to your family. They’ll be worried about you.” She’d always ignore the comments and continue to hold out her bowl, feeling it was less shameful to beg from strangers than from family.

OCTOBER

Granny Ng had been living in the tent village for forty-two days when the city officials removed her and about twenty other newcomers from the park. When Uncle Chow asked them why, the officials told him they’d been given orders to prevent the spreading of the tent village. Granny Ng assumed there must be some kind of understanding with the old-timer tent dwellers, since they were left alone. As the officials stood over Granny Ng, watching Brother Shek help her pack up her tent and belongings, they seemed genuinely sorry, even a little embarrassed. Kitty and Uncle Chow gave her small packets and tins of food as well as suggestions about where she could try setting up next. Kitty looked as if she might cry. “I’m so sorry you can’t stay, Granny Ng. I feel like I’ve let you down.” Granny Ng patted her on the shoulder and continued packing up her tent. She folded it slowly and with care. It may just be a sheet of cloth held up by poles, she thought, but even a millimeter of fabric can provide a small feeling of security.

Granny Ng took Kitty’s suggestion and tried another tent village in a park about ten miles west. Kitty had taken her to the bus station and pointed to the name of the stop where she had to get off, making her repeat the name three times. She saw her off with a cube of green bean cake wrapped in wax paper and a flask of hot tea.