“How I look at all this is simple: train hopping equals mobility; flying a sign equals cash; dumpster diving or running the trash cans equals clothing, food, water cups, nourishment. This removes us from the norm, from working long hours for shit pay. We got zero debt, no rules, no authority, and as females, we embrace our dirty bodies. It defines who we are, and it protects us.”

Knowing she has a gun and money in her pack, Anne worries about getting ripped off. She trusts Cinnamon, but she is keeping her gains to herself. When the opportunity presents itself, she’ll share it with her new friend. And then it hits her: Where is her pack?

“You look concerned,” says Cinnamon. “What’s wrong?”

“My pack—don’t remember where I put it.”

Smiling, she says, “It’s on the sleeping bag. It was your pillow.”

Anne sighs, relieved. “Shouldn’t we wake Trot?”

“Yes, we should. The more hands we got, the more trash cans we can cover. Does he drink coffee?”

“I think so.”

“Let’s score him a cup. Get with Canary and the twins—her little brother and sister. The younger the mouths, the more pity you get from the drivers. We can catch a bus, hit town for the morning rush hour of the working folks.”

The smell of exhaust fumes is thick at the light. Engines rev, idle, and rev again over the rough pavement of badly patched potholes. Gears shift, and brakes squeak. The smell of tire tread blends with the aromas of bacon, eggs, hash browns, sausage, and fresh-brewed coffee from the nearby cafés and greasy spoons. Anne does her best to ignore it all while she stands with a plaintive look, trying to appear needy and poor. Her dirty pink backpack between her ankles, a wad of cash and a pistol buried in its belly, standing with Canary’s little sister Sweet Tart, Anne holds a worn and stained cardboard sign that reads, “Homeless and hungry. Anything you can offer would help me and my baby sister.”

Vendors of sandwiches take up space on other corners, prepping for lunch-hour traffic still hours away. The city’s workforce shuffles by on foot as well as on wheels. Crossing streets. Walking down sidewalks. Sipping coffee. Facing the new day.