He looked up at this clock — it was 5:30 p.m. I know I have something to do tonight. What is it — kid’s soccer? Theater? Business club meeting? He went to his computer and accessed his calendar — Oh, that’s right. I have dinner with my old friend. He jumped into his car and raced to the restaurant. He was late — but his friend usually was, too. “bill, over here,” Joe called. bill was on his phone talking animatedly, “i don’t care if that’s the way we’ve been doing it. what do we need to do today? well, you make the call, i’ll back you up. listen, if this doesn’t work, call me here tonight. i’ve gotta go, it’s not a good time for us to talk. good luck.” 7