vii.

Chicago's traffic officer waved a car though the intersection of Washington and State. Eleanor waited for Albert under the elevated tracks. Albert rushed through EOW tasks, then shot out the building into the drizzling weather.

Eleanor had already switched to the passenger seat and gave him a broad, sweet smile as he hopped in to kiss her.

Eleanor needed a suit for her upcoming interview. Never before had she the use for one, but life calls for such things as we age. She asked that he drop her off at Old Navy.

As usual, Friday afternoon in downtown Chicago refelcted a state of emergency. It became a life-or-death situation for people to get out and start their already fleeting weekend. Albert darted the car through the mass, negotiating single-minded pedestrians, one-way streets and buses while observing traffic signals.

He attempted to turn left in front of the store, but the traffic cop refused. She motioned him through the intersection with merciless authority. He gave the bird and cut across three lanes of traffic and pulled over. He did not notice how near he was to the bus shelter.

But after Eleanor alighted, he experienced the fury of Chicago's traffic laws. Just as he noticed a traffic officer approaching, he let his foot off the brake and, as he was pulling away, a CTA bus zoomed in and trapped him. At this point, a smile came across the approcahing man's face.

Albert's nerves were rattling. His immediate impulse was to begin defending himself madly even before he had his window down, although he knew he was done. Albert pleaded, though it was a hopeless battle against traffic violations -- a dependable revenue source for the city. In an act of defiance he skillfully reversed one-hundred yards through buses, totaling three now, and finally around a cab before butting through pedestrians unsurprised at the crosswalk and taking off. His heart was pounding! The traffic cop cut him off, making one last appearance in the middle of State street while nodding his head and writing down the license plate number.

He was saying, "let him go, let him go."

Albert sped around him slamming his fist on the steering wheel. "Fuck, fuck," he was at a loss for words. A month later an enevelope arrived from the Secretary of State.