Joanie’s death brought a rebirth. She had left behind a small fortune, saved from eight years of cleaning subway trains, for which she had earned a total of $280,752. Her combined pension, death benefits, and unclaimed pay would be divided among her three surviving children: Chanel, Lamont, and Shamell. Chanel’s portion of the inheritance came to $49,000. She had never touched so much money. Her mind flooded with ideas. She and Supreme would open a Five Percent youth center, or perhaps a barbershop. They could finally quit the shelter system. By sheer luck, the city was offering a new subsidy
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