I ran blindly. I saw the lighted exit sign ahead of me and nothing else. I was only vaguely conscious of elbowing dignitaries out of my way as I ran through the chamber and down the escalator. I burst onto the sidewalk and kept running down the street.
"Taxi!" I yelled into oncoming traffic. Luckily, a Yellow Cab stopped for me. I told the driver to "step on it" to Grand Central. He ran through two red lights with the promise of a fifty-dollar tip.
There wasn't a cloud in the sky. A warm breeze came through the window, blowing my hair around my head. It was a perfect late spring day as only New York could provide. I thought how odd it was to feel such terror, to have everything go wrong, when the weather was so beautiful. I should have been picnicking in the park, not going to risk my
