He thought back on his life, his career. Up until now, he had never really known what made him make the choices he had made, what had propelled him onto the life trajectory that he so fondly remembered. The life of a low-level town planner would not make for was not the most glamorous of biographies, but regardless he reveled in remembering it. He was never one of those making the big decisions, but rather one who ensured that the smaller ones were carried out with as much efficiency and grace as could be afforded. Up until now, he couldn’t have put his finger on exactly when he chose this life, but as the first tunes of soft jazz started playing from the other room, he suddenly realized with crystal clarity and a full bird’s eye view of the whole process

He had, unwittingly, walked into a three-way standoff. It was clear that the fate of the neighborhood would be decided on this day, and that it would be decided by whomever was left standing after this ordeal. Each participant could only eye one of the others, meaning they all gazed to and fro with careful deliberation. No one wanted to make the first move, seeing as it would allow the one not pounced an opportunity to seize the advantage. Carefully, he stepped out of the cats’ lines of sight, and hurriedly walked along the street before these feline desperadoes could come to blows