The first time I noticed Dotti, the old lady, was in September. She looked around anxiously and
sometimes asked for time to the people passing by. Her eyes are deep and haze, retreating to her inner world.

She appears every weekend at the corner of Penn Ave. and 17th St, where the food market and
restaurants are.

Till now she is still wearing the same clothes and the same bag. She doesn't speak too much, only
looks at the people coming out of the grocery store, carrying bags. But she never directly asks for
money. She turns back once you see the eagerness in her eyes. For most people, she looks like an
old lady waiting for her naughty grandchildern.

Finally I talked with her in a cold snowy day. She told me that her food card is not available
until Tuesday. Weekend means hunger for her.

Here is the picture of her: Standing seriously in front of the food ad, fighting for her self-
esteem against the weekend-long hunger.