I was in TC, Texas, sent to settle an outstanding municipality account. I found myself on a small green patch that looked nothing like I expected, with a trailer park on each side. I felt puzzled and wondered if anyone else knew about this. Then I realized that I had no way of returning and was probably stranded in this surreal place.

I wandered down a side street that looked like it belonged in Florida, not Texas. Mansions lined the street, which seemed incongruous. My dad came along and closed an open door as a courtesy. A woman on an upper floor heard the door close and yelled at him from a window as though he were a thief. He didn’t react, but I was outraged even as I felt more and more confused, lost, and dazed.