We pull into the parking lot of Raya's apartment complex, and I put the truck into park. Both of us sit there for a moment. There's a knot in the pit of my stomach. Several windows are broken in the building from this vantage point. There are young kids playing alone in the parking lot. And the only businesses we passed on the way here that I saw were pawn shops and check cashing places with bars over their windows.
"This isn't the safest place for her, is it?" I ask, looking out of the driver's side window.
"She hasn't had any problems." Her father says, dodging the question. When he realizes it, he goes on. "No, it's not. But the safest place in this city would include security and a doorman and a very high price tag that an internship can't pay for. Auraya adapts really well to her environment, and she's very friendly and kindhearted. I think that earns her a kind of respect and loyalty wherever she is."
