It is a long sobering ride on the train, and another long ride to my apartment, where I find four messages from Steven on the answering machine, each one more frantic sounding than the one before.
Chapter Nine
I meet Steven in a small city garden where I often go to think. It's secluded on four sides by brick walls, which are covered with thick vines. I come here believing that it is my private refuge, that no one else knows of its existence tucked in the heart of the city, unseen. It is one place where I'm able to think clearly, even with the sounds of traffic in the distance and the harsh smells of city life that permeate the jungle of vines. I hope Steven and I will find as much clarity here together as I find for myself. Because I figure he'll have some difficulty finding the garden,
