Chapter 1

An Excerpt from a Book With Too Many Working Titles

Source: Andrew Jephson

The murmur of some Middle Eastern dialect poured from the driver’s cellphone, while a newscaster’s voice penetrated through the fake bullet-proof glass. It was one of the rainiest days I had ever witnessed in New York City. As the downpour beat heavy on the windshield of the cab, I peered out onto 53rd street. I was absorbed in some purposeless melancholic…