caught and arrested many times, for
not having her ID on the way home
from work, for being in a white area
after hours. The penalty for
violating the pass laws was thirty
days in jail or a fine of fifty rand,
nearly half her monthly salary. She
would scrape together the money,
pay the fine, and go right back
about her business.
—My mom’s secret flat was in a
neighborhood called Hillbrow. She
lived in number 203. Down the
corridor was a tall, brown-haired,
brown-eyed Swiss/German expat