The Orange Houses Chapter 5

FATIMA

• On a noisy Bronx street, twenty-three days before the hanging, Fatima meets up with a newspaper guy.
• He offers her a job selling newspapers, but she's got to pay for them upfront.
• She coughs up the five hundred bucks—all the money she has saved—and hands it over; then she gets a laundry list of what not to do while there.
• It goes something like this: Never let the police see you. Be careful of rats. Don't get into any trouble.
• Since she's in the country illegally, it's rough finding work and housing, but newspaper dude sorts it out for her.
• When he finishes his instructions, Fatima asks how to get to the Statue of Liberty, but he warns her not to go there.
• Her new home is small and dark, but to Fatima, it's a dream.
• One day, Fatima starts crying while outside. When a little girl asks her what's the deal, she explains that it's because she's happy.
• Then she makes three paper angels out of old newspapers. She folds them a bunch of times until they have wings, then she gives two to the girl: one for her and one for her mom.
• Fatima gives the other one to a man who is crying. It turns out he's happy as well. Yay for happy tears.
• The guy introduces himself as Jimmi and then takes her over to the Vet hospital to meet up with his friends.
• While there, someone asks Fatima if she's interested in teaching English there. The job is volunteering, but Fatima takes it since she taught the refugee girls and loved it.