As I walked through the door, I got a whiff of the glorious, yeasty smell of baking bread coupled with a heavy dose of garlic and onion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reggie rose to greet me with open arms. He was taller than I remembered, a little leaner but more man than boy. He wore a backward baseball cap, and the outer corners of those large, brown Cavalier-spaniel eyes crinkled as he smiled. I noticed the dark circles beneath them. He hugged me fully and held on a beat longer than I did. I was giddy, not so much with joy as with relief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOh my God,\u201d he said, \u201cyou\u2019re finally here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes, and exhausted. But getting your note perked me up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDid you use the dime?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo, the switchboard put me through. I still have it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cKeep it. Everybody in New York needs a dime for the pay phone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He gestured toward the table. \u201cI hope you\u2019re hungry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI could eat everything in this place,\u201d I said. \u201cAnd it smells heavenly in here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHave you ever had a bagel before?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo, never, but they look delicious.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou\u2019re in for a treat. Once you\u2019ve tasted a bagel, there\u2019s no going back to bread.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We walked past the glass cases displaying wire baskets filled with bagels: shiny, golden rings, some with raisins and cinnamon, or topped with sesame or poppy seeds. At least a dozen different varieties. Farther down there was a deli section, where you could turn your bagel into a sandwich of any kind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou can have it toasted or warm from the oven, topped with just a schmear or my favorite, a combination of cream cheese, lox, red onion, tomato, and capers,\u201d he said as if he were a waiter reciting the specials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSchmear,\u201d I said as I looked up at him. \u201cI see your Yiddish vocabulary has expanded.\u201d He shrugged it off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We sat down at the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOnce you\u2019ve decided, you order at the counter,\u201d he explained. \u201cIt\u2019ll be ready by the time I\u2019ve paid the cashier,\u201d he said with a laugh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat are you having?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m not that hungry. I think I\u2019ll get a plain bagel with nothing on it and a coffee. This place has good coffee, and it\u2019s only a quarter. Best deal in town. But you order anything you want. It\u2019s on me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOkay, well, let\u2019s see\u2026 I think maybe a toasted cinnamon raisin with butter,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We went up to the counter and ordered. \u201cAnd a coffee,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRegulah coffee?\u201d the counter man asked me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes, not decaf.\u201d He gave me a strange look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reggie was right. By the time he finished paying, we both had a tray with a bagel on a paper plate and coffee in a cardboard cup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThank you,\u201d I said to him as we made our way back to the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I took a sip of my coffee and grimaced. \u201cOh dear, he put sugar in it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYeah,\u201d said Reggie. \u201cIf you get regular coffee, that means with milk and sugar. You have to tell them if you want just milk and no sugar.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOh. Okay,\u201d I responded, a bit puzzled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He smiled at me and my obvious naivete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s good to see you,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
As I walked through the door, I got a whiff of the glorious, yeasty smell of baking bread coupled with a heavy dose of garlic and onion. Reggie rose to greet me with open arms. He was taller than I … Continue reading