The Fast That Maria Kept

Every Lent, Maria Dominguez gave up coffee, chocolate, and social media. She marked each day of self-denial on a calendar taped to her refrigerator. She prayed morning and evening. She attended every midweek service without fail. But each morning on her commute through East San Jose, she passed the same intersection where day laborers gathered outside a hardware store parking lot, hoping someone might offer a few hours of work.…