Local Economies

— Short Fiction —

Illustration by Lizzy O’Donnell

Fatima works in a downtown café frequented by graduate students, professors, and a certain amalgam of townies.

She makes espresso and sandwiches. She cuts her fingers and burns her arms. She mops the floors and sweeps the patio. She refills napkin dispensers and makes sure there are enough straws. She adjusts the bolts behind the dishwasher and she stacks the glasses into the low…