The Foreign Service Journal, June 2005

looked down and bit her lip. She knew Rosa’s chances were slim. “There’s a bunch of us going to lunch. Wanna come?” “No, gracias. I’ve got some errands to run,” Rosa lied smoothly. “I’ll meet you guys at the bus at 4 p.m. Hasta luego.” She turned and quickly walked in the opposite direction of the people with the flapping blue strips. She wondered why she couldn’t lie so easily during her inter- view. Rosa had no idea where she was going. Food was the last thing on her mind. Her stomach churned with every step. Her eyes searched for shrubbery, just in case she had to throw up. Her head was spinning. “Dios mio. What have I done? What have I done?” she repeated under her breath. Block after block, she walked desperately, blindly, neither hearing the tinkling bells of the Chiclet vendors nor smelling the frying beef of the taco stands. She did not notice when the sounds and smells disap- peared either. Without warning, her toe caught a crack in the sidewalk and she went sprawling, hands sliding across the pavement. Her knees scraped the surface, and before she knew it she was spread-eagled on the ground. She lifted her head and made an effort to get up. Pain shot through her, like a thousand needles. She lay back down. Tears burst from her eyes like soda bursting from a can. Heaving sobs wracked her body. She didn’t care if anyone was around, if anyone heard her. She just did not care anymore. She cried until all that was left were brief shudders that trembled through her shoulders like wind in the trees. Eventually, she raised her head, brought her wrist to her face and clumsily wiped the snot puddled beneath her nose. Blood and pebbles matted her palms. She did not want to look at her knees. She turned her head and saw abandoned townhouses with weeds growing out of the windows and boards criss-crossing the doorways. She sighed and closed her eyes. “¡ S eñora! ¡Señora! ¿Está bien? Are you okay?” Heavy, shuffling footsteps came rushing up the F O C U S J U N E 2 0 0 5 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 53 Get Your Finances In Line With SDFCU Online You can depend on State Department Federal Credit Union for the ultimate in security and convenience with SDFCU Online banking. This FREE service allows you to access your Credit Union accounts via the Internet anytime, from anywhere in the world. Just go to www.sdfcu.org and click the SDFCU Online logo. You can conduct the following Credit Union business: Transfer funds between accounts Check current account balances View your account history over the last 15 months View check images View and pay your credit card bill online Pay Bills and much more!* See just how easy SDFCU Online is! Visit us at www.sdfcuonline.org and check out the easy demo! If you’re interested in becoming a member of State Department Federal Credit Union, give our Member Service Center a call at 703- 706-5000 , or outside the D.C. Metro area at 800-296-8882 . You can also email us at sdfcu@sdfcu.org . SDFCU Online puts us at your service, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, whenever you need us the most. Sign up today! *The Bill Payer service is available at no charge for Capital Club members. Otherwise, there is a low monthly fee of $3.95 for unlimited transactions.