Article November 24, 2003 ISSUE

Homeward bound

By Jewel Simmons

It was nearing 4:00 on a Wednesday afternoon. I stopped by my boss's office to see if leaving in a few minutes was still a go. Although I had a 4:30 train, I wanted to stay until the last possible moment to help out. The station was just a brisk ten-minute walk away, but, not wanting to take any chances, I'd decided to splurge on a taxi.

This was no ordinary Wednesday afternoon—it was the day before Thanksgiving. I had worn a new embroidered skirt to work that day so it wouldn't get wrinkled in my backpack. I'd wear it to a Thanksgiving church service the next day. I checked my backpack one last time—a few clothes to get me through the weekend, a big scarf to wrap up with on the train, and a couple of boxes of Girl Scout cookies to share with my family.