I Handed My Jacket to a Woman in the Cold, and Two Weeks Later a Velvet Box Turned My World Upside Down

back pressed hard against the stone. As if the building might lend her a little of its stored warmth. As if leaning into something solid could keep the cold from pushing her out of the world.

She was bundled in a thin sweater that looked like it had been washed too many times. No coat. No gloves. Her hands were tucked beneath her arms, but they still continue reading …