Chapter 12Bonita drove a Year 212 BU-12 automobile. She told me it was the only automobile she could afford on her hotel employee’s salary. Bubble-shaped just like all the other automobiles I had seen in Alicia, it had wood paneling on the dashboard, steering wheel, and doors and was clearly an outdated version of the other cars zipping by us on the highway. Bonita explained that this version of the BU-12 was the first model built for purchase. She kept the automobile’s interior clean, and it smelled like she had just bought it new.
We made it to the River district in about fifteen minutes. Bonita told me that the district was home to the working class of the city, along with most of the action—from nightlife to crime. Most of the silver workers who had emigrated from Walter’s Grove lived
