Manhattan skyline

Jody was late for the meeting, walking between blocks in Lower Manhattan, trying to find the subway entrance. She could hardly cross the road for traffic, and the noise, smells and searing heat were unbearable. She whistled up a taxi and hopped in. Acutely conscious of the time, Jody still had leisure to admire the classic, geometric lines of the buildings reaching up to the sky. She recalled what her grandma from New York had said about cab drivers.

"Loud, proud and angry with it," her grandma had said. Beginning to relax now, Jody reclined luxuriously in the back seat, smiling at herself that she didn't have to share her ride with anyone, and certainly not a New York cab driver.

As the taxi soared up above the skyline, Jody ordered a glass of sparkling water and began to plan her approach to the meeting with the Vice President. By the time she reached her destination, she had it all mapped out.

"Thanks," she said, stepping out of the vehicle as it landed on the rooftop."

"You're welcome! Have a lovely day." replied the cab as it whisked itself off back into the madness. Jody smiled again, wondering why they could never quite create a synthetic voice that sounded human.