"They would iron their clothes and pack their knapsack, " says Richards, now a criminologist at University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.

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Mr. Stewart is sometimes able to pack one week's worth of clothes in a handbag, avoiding the nuisance of long check-in lines at the airport.

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When they spoke again, it was about his trip, the few things he needed to pack in the morning in his carry-on, and what she should do with the clothes and other belongings he was leaving behind.

NEWYORKER: Alone