She consistently speaks and writes in the present tense, a style embraced by her book club without hesitation. After all, she has recently discussed J.M. Coetzee's 'Waiting For The Barbarians,' a novel set in the past yet narrated in the present tense. Literature excels at defying conventions, she muses. And who is better to challenge norms than Coetzee, a Nobel Laureate in Literature?

Literature is her refuge; America, not so much. "We asylum seekers are condemned to a long waiting game," she confides in her smartphone AI in Cantonese. The clamor of the subway drowns out her soft voice, as she intends.

Emerging above ground, she steps into a radiant spring day in Lower Manhattan. Gazing out at the sparkling lights dancing on the Hudson River, memories of tear gas and democracy chants flood back to her. She continues walking among familiar strangers.

Author: renqiulan