Shangri-La
Upon arrival in their hotel room, Philip surveyed his surroundings: a beat-up chest of drawers with a mirror and a TV bolted to the top; a round Formica table with two chairs by the window overlooking the deserted street; and a small dressing room with a tiny bathroom off to the right. He plopped down on one of the double beds, too depressed to move.
His mother immediately proceeded to unpack her medication, lining up bottles along the counter by the sink. She picked up one bottle, read the label, put it down, and continued on until she found what she called her P.M. before dinner pills; she swallowed two with a glass of water from the tap. She then hung up their traveling clothes, stowed their small cases in the closet, draped her sweater over one of the chairs, and turned to
