Seth is a freelance journalist, four years older than me. Toko-san runs a restaurant business and he used to work in her office.
“You seem to love books, so I’m sure you’ll get on with him quite well,” said Toko-san and introduced us to each other.
Seth lived in an apartment on 38th and Lexington. I got the address and paid a visit. It was an old six-story building, very clean-looking, with a small lobby that had Henri Rousseau’s poster.
I was looking around for an elevator when the doorman approached and said, “You must be a friend of Seth’s. We’ve been expecting you,” and kindly pointed me to the elevator.
He lived in the penthouse, so I pushed the button that said “PH” (how cool is that! A “PH” button). A nice scent of rosemary filled the car.
When the elevator door opened, Seth welcomed me with a great smile.
“The doorman told me that you were here! Welcome!” he said, and put his arms around my shoulder and led me inside.
Being that it was a penthouse, I had the image of a gorgeous place, but it was rather simple, just the right size for one person, and it just happened to be on the top floor of a standard apartment building.
“Come, this way,” said Seth as he invited me to the balcony. “Look, this is my favorite view of the city. What do you think?”
Pots of rosemary were laid out on the balcony.
“It feels nicer than being inside. Have a seat, Yataro,” and he offered me a foldable chair to sit on.
Just as Seth said, the vast view of New York City, the bustling noise that rose up, the comfortable breeze, the twinkling but soft autumn sun, everything was so nice and pleasant.
“See, that’s the Empire State Building. So beautiful at night.”
And Seth began to tell me his story. That this room belonged to his long-estranged father who owns a real estate business, how he sometimes writes in a column for the New York Times, his relationship with Toko-san, etc.
I said, “Thank you for telling me about you,” to which Seth said, “I’d love to hear more about you someday, Yataro.”
“Next time, I’ll take you to my favorite book shop in New York. And if you plan to stay in the city for a while, then I recommend you rent a room rather than stay in a hotel. Don’t worry, I’ll help you find a room.”
“Thank you so much,”
“You are already my friend. Here in New York, people help each other out, so don’t worry,”
Seth said with a smile.
“C’mon, let’s go for a pizza! It’s getting cold outside, so better wrap up!”
That’s when Seth lent me his sweater since I came with just a shirt. His sweater was big, bulky, and very warm.
