The Adherence
ShortStory 3,668 words Recommended by 2 award/anthology sources
"Phil and Dierdre met on the street in that part of town known as The Crumble. They hadn’t seen each other in a long time. Her hair was bleached, her lipstick too red, and her youth hidden behind crow’s feet and wrinkles. Still, he recognized her immediately. She was startled when he approached her and looked as if she might scream. It was a high crime area."
Quasar links out; the story lives on Asimov's, where the author gets the click.