"The young woman had made herself more comfortable and was in a pair of men's pajamas. The van itself was very warm, in stark contrast to the freezing outside we must have temporarily entered to find our way to the van. I was still trying to warm up when she handed me a huge mug of tea. White porcelain.

"'Herbs,' she said, consciously stressing the h sound and giving me a coy smile that suggested things could now become intentional."