She lifted the cover from the trash can and started sifting through its contents. She gingerly pushed aside some rotting food escaping a plastic bag and swatted away a couple of flies. She held her breath and continued searching for the small white garbage bag. The truck drew closer, grinding and shifting gears as it stopped and started again. At last she found the bag and yanked it out, just as the truck pulled up. The driver gave her a wink and a lascivious look, appreciating how her black robe hugged her figure and the vulnerability of her bare feet. She didn’t take time to notice. Back inside she opened the bag, glad that everything was still intact. When she finally found the crumpled invitation, she smoothed it out against her leg, then sat at her desk and grabbed a pen. She read the instructions again, then began to fill it out. Some of the questions would have made her pause before, but she didn’t have the time to think them over, and instead wrote down the first thing that came to her.
