Summary

In the story “The American Embassy” a woman stood in line at the American Embassy. She was the 48th person in line. She did not notice much going on around her. When the man behind her asked her a question she was surprised and had to bring herself back to reality. Her doctor had advised her to keep her mind blank. He refused to give her any tranquilizers because he said she needed to be alert during her interview to request a visa. She couldn’t keep herself from thinking about her four-year-old son with the splash of blood on him. When the man behind her tapped her on the shoulder she nearly screamed from the pain caused by a muscle she’d twisted when she jumped from the second floor balcony of her apartment. The man pointed out to her the...