On a Friday evening, near the end of November, a couple of local police officers knocked on my door. I barely heard them. Such a polite knocking—so unlike the I'm gonna knock down your door if you don't answer it in two seconds kind of scenario you see in movies. Looking through the peep hole, I had the sinking feeling that once again, my life was about to undergo a profound change and I'd be forced to take a detour from what I had planned.