Midnight Budget Meeting in Mecca Hall

Stark fluorescent tubes cast a flat, clinical glow over a long wooden table where officials sit in the community center hall of Mecca. The cool season air has formed distinct condensation beads on the glass windows lining the wall. Papers and folders spread across the wood surface, their edges sharp under the harsh light. People lean forward, their expressions focused as they review documents. Long lines of the table and the rows of chairs guide the gaze toward the head of the table where a man points at a chart. A reflection of a light fixture streaks across the wet glass pane.