.

Outside the Greyhound terminal on 3/10. She was sobbing and lamenting so loudly, you could hear her 50 yards away, but as soon as she had someone to talk to, she became perfectly composed. She had come up from Whittier, but her boyfriend never showed up at the Oakland station, so now she was stranded. I lent her my cellphone to call her boyfriend, who didn't answer, then her dad, who also didn't answer. She was able to reach her mom, however, "Mom, please tell dad to send me $200 by Western Union. I'm on the streets, Mom, I'm in Oakland. I got here yesterday."

Smiling, she said to me, "Thank you, sweetie. I should buy you breakfast."

"No, no, that's all right. Good luck, now. Take care."



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