The man climbed the stairs from the subway platform and emerged onto the crowded city sidewalk. It was the morning rush hour; there were a great many pedestrians rushing in both directions, and the weather was oppressively hot. The summer heat out here on the street was not any better than it had been on the subway.
The man’s pinstripe suit was uncomfortably warm, and his necktie constricted his neck, but they were the necessary attire at his place of employment. His shirt was sticking to his skin already. He decided to buy an iced coffee at the shop near his office.
Adjusting the shoulder strap of the bag holding his laptop computer, he quickly matched the pace of the rest of the pedestrian traffic. He would not want to be one of those unfortunate people who moved too slowly for the others on the sidewalk and were inevitably shouldered aside, sometimes politely, sometimes less so.
He reached the street corner, and a "Don’t Walk" sign flashed on the opposite side of the street. He waited at the curb while others approached the corner and gathered behind and around him, waiting for the light to change.
The red "Don’t Walk" changed to a white "Walk". The man stepped out onto the street. A car’s horn blared loudly.
