“So, what now?” said Jack.
“You are now officially a full-fledged book hunter with friends and collector clients in the city. You have the assignments from Peggy. You can probably do this book work without me, right?”
Jack and I talked as we walked up Broadway from Little Italy.
“Yes, since coming to New York, I met you and you have taught me so much through this work, and they were all lessons not limited to book hunting but ones that can be said for any work. The main thing I learned is that it’s all about human connections and communication. So what is communication? It’s about love to others. Work is about helping people with their problems, which is about deeply understanding their emotions. That’s what I learned in New York, I think,” I rambled on as though to be speaking to myself.
“That’s right. I think you’ve nailed a very important point. Now it’s about how you can nurture that seed of realization so that it flowers. Give it a good thought and that will probably be your vision, I’m sure of it.”
As the sky slowly took on the morning glow,
Jack spoke while looking up.
“By the way, I like that linen shirt you have on today. I so love that crease linen shirts take on the second day when it adapts to your body. This one’s on its second day, am I right?”
“Jack, what are you talking about? I got this shirt from you! It was yours,” I said laughing.
“Oh, well, any piece of clothing would look different on others. This one looks better on you,” said Jack.
“So about this vision, I’m going to see Asha from the Coffee Shop tomorrow. She’s also searching for her vision and I have this inkling that our visions may overlap.”
“Asha’s a nice girl. You don’t find many as pure as she is. You two live in the same world, so I’m sure a new possibility will open up for you guys,” replied Jack.
“But I need to fly back to Japan for now. I’ve been selfishly traveling for some time, so I want to go home and do something for my parents. I may be able to use my experience here in Japan. And someday, I will definitely come back to New York.”
“You know my routine now, so you’ll know where to find me the next time you are in New York,” said Jack laughing.
“Ok, let’s grab a warm cup of coffee and go home.”
We stepped into the donut shop, the place where we first had our coffee. The donut shop in the morning hours was filled with the sweet smell of the freshly-fried donuts.
We placed the order, sat at the counter, and just enjoyed the moment without a word.
“I guess this is where we say goodbye…”
With both elbows on the counter, Jack said, holding a mug with both his hands.
I said, “I guess so.”
End of Part One
