 Over lunch, a man tells a story to two companions. He learns from his doctor that he hasn t long to live. He tries to talk to his daughter, from whom he s estranged. He figures out his bank balance and visits his credit union. Meanwhile, a young man with a wife and child needs a loan to make ends meet. And, an overweight, phlegmatic cop is assigned to direct traffic at a corner where the stop lights are out. These seemingly disparate characters and events are about to meet. As the story unfolds, one of the lunch-table listeners works a crossword puzzle: what s a five-letter word that starts with "i" denoting incongruity between expectation and reality?