We assembled the material carefully and sought advice from counsel familiar with that process.

The application meant reviewing parts of the experience I would rather have forgotten: employment history before arrest, lost earning records, the dates I had been incarcerated, and evidence about what I had endured.

I set a limit on how much paperwork I would handle each day.

One afternoon the application asked me to describe the personal effects of imprisonment.

I stared at the blank page until the words seemed hostile.

I called Angela.