Break

She held the pink parasol in her hand. It provided enough shade to cool her a degree or two beneath the El Niño sun. A heat so strong her mind couldn’t wander; the moment forced itself to be felt. Across the street, the city worked to repair the roads before the next global sporting event. Construction men in hi-vis vests, shirts darkened with sweat, sat atop the roots of a pale tree. She watched as they drank water; they watched as she angled the umbrella to block their view.

No. 195