Yellow, yellow, yellow, red, yellow, green. The
highway paints the day as we move along. We
are reaching Utah where life, as the billboard
claims, is elevated. As we drive into our city, we
are shrouded by mountains that close around us
like a multitude of caring fists. Is this a good
sign? Are they caring or smothering? It’s so easy
to mistake one for the other. It’s nearly 4
o’clock when we park in front of the house we
have rented online. Trusting strangers is a badge
we carry with pride in my culture. We walk
toward the house when a group of old ladies
crosses our path. “You must be the new tenants,”
one says, and her smile is caring and sneakily
smothering.