Aaron stepped into the apartment and was surprised to find no one near the door. He gently placed his fingers around the doorknob and slowly pushed the door closed. He was about to ask Jajine who opened it, but forgot about the question the instant he looked around the apartment. It reminded him of an old Twilight Zone episode, except it was in color. A massive snake stirred in a glass terrarium under the window, an old black-and-white television with the volume turned all the way down was sitting next to it, and mounds of newspapers were stacked everywhere. On the walls were pictures of what he assumed was her family. One showed a young Jajine in a frilly dress against a backdrop of a tropical island. “Where were these pictures taken?” he asked.

“Haiti. Dat’s where I’m from,&rdq...

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