A History

Outside

Lana leaned against the wall watching people walk by. They kept their heads down, walking quickly, ignoring each other. She took a drag. Some men would glance at her, then back at the ground. A couple of cops appeared. “Ma’m smoking isn’t permitted after 10 pm and you’re violating the neighbourhood dress code. “So?” Lana took drag, staring past the cops. “You get a $500 ticket and you’ve gotta change.” The cop held out a ticket. She tore it into pieces and tossed them away. “See if I care. You can’t send me to jail. You can’t send anyone there.”