The walls of the Houston Health & Human Services office are pale gray and brown, the death requests blue, birth yellow. The chairs are deep chocolate brown with torn vinyl, occupied mostly by women with dark skin. We are outnumbered by children which is why most of the adults here are holding small yellow requests for birth certificates.
Lisa calls me to the first window, an attractive woman in her mid-forties with short black hair and cool blue eyes, takes my check…
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