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He decided he was content with the here and now, just getting to know Nora in this moment, for the –
“…Present! Just one,” Nora clapped her hands, excited, bringing him back from outer space. “It’ll be fun, right? To open something tonight after candles? I know just the place.”
They took their time, making their way downtown. Nora was the best kind of tour guide – combining off-the-beaten-path surprises with must-see landmark spots, weaving stories in for context. If she had an agenda, she was certainly flexible when something caught either of their attention.
She hadn’t been kidding when she said they’d be outside for most of the day, but Alex hadn’t minded one bit. It was fun to watch her play tourist in her own town. One minute she was a jaded New Yorker, the next; wide-eyed as a child, laughing with delight.
“What do you mean, you don’t have Christmas tree vendors on the streets?” she asked, incredulous, when he admitted to never having seen a transplanted forest of cut and tied trees just hanging out on the sidewalk. “Where do people get their trees from?”
“Places called farms, Nora. Or nurseries? Pretty sure the entire rest of the country would agree with me.” He laughed. The city street did smell pretty amazing, though. Between the sharp scent of fresh pine, and the fragrant roasting of candied nuts from vendors on just about every corner they’d passed. “If that blows your mind, imagine if I took you to see a corn maze.”
Hecouldimagine taking her to Des Moines. It had a historic East Village, not so unlike the one they were walking in now. There was a lot more to see in Iowa than just corn. And hayseeds.
They’d had a late lunch at Veselka, which served kasha varnishkes almost as good as he remembered Gran Leah’s. Then espresso drinks served out of a funky Airstream trailer near Astor Place before hitting the Strand Bookstore, which had also been on Alex’s list of places to see.
Nora bought a cookbook there for Talia. And aNice Jewish Guyscalendar for Sylvie. An annual tradition, Nora explained. “I keep hoping she’ll get the hint and manifest a new poster boy for herself.”
“Avi no good for her?”
Nora sighed. “You know that thing some people say about soulmates, how they’re not necessarily the one you’re meant to be with? And more like the person who challenges you, and pushes you out of your boundaries? Avi and Sylvie have been pushing and pulling at each other since Israel. I don’t think it’s the healthiest thing for either of them.” She shrugged. “But who am I to judge?”
Alex was not one to talk, either. Sheila, his last girlfriend, had pretty much ended them when she moved to Chicago after grad school. There had been no soul, no challenge, and no pull to follow her there. Plus Grandpa My had started going downhill at that point, leaving Alex to believe that staying within the boundaries of Des Moines was where he needed to be.
“Here we are,” Nora pointed. “This is Union Square Park. But this time of year, it turns into a holiday market.”
“You’re not kidding.” Alex whistled under his breath. There had to be over a hundred red and white tents lining the various pathways of the park. If Nora could navigate this, she would have no problem in his dinky hometown corn maze.
She grabbed his hand to cross the street, which was more like three intersecting streets, and led them into the park. “We have a bunch of European-type Christmas markets back home, German and Dutch-inspired. But nothing like this.”
It was a true holiday market, with New York’s pot finally melting and blending its sights, sounds and smells. Alex noticed Germanstollenfruitcake and Glühwein and next to a French hot chocolate stall, empanadas sharing space with Moroccan kebabs, even sufganiyot and another type of puffy donuts being sold single or by the dozen.
“Those arebuñuelos– Sephardic donuts for Hanukkah,” Nora said. “So good with honey. Here, try.”
She insisted on buying one, since he had picked up the check for drinks and lunch. And holding it while he took a bite, getting honey all over both of them in the process. Alex didn’t mind – it was a far cry from the lox and whitefish she had tried to repel him with earlier, but he didn’t dare point that out.
Corrugated metal roofs, some trimmed with lights, others with green boughs, shielded vendors and shoppers alike from the elements, but they were very much outdoors as they decided where to start their Hanukkah shopping.
“Okay, I know how you love your rules, so… twenty minutes?” he suggested. “And under twenty dollars?”
“You’re on, Beckman. I’ll meet you under that subway sign there.”
“It’s a date, Ruben.”
* * *
Nora couldn’t keep the grin off her face as she floated dreamily from stall to stall. Fingering silks and wools, trying to dream up a perfect gift for Beck.
It’s a date, Ruben.
All right, she knew it was just a figure of speech. And this day had been all about low-pressure, totally platonic hospitality. But she hadn’t had a date in forever, beyond a few failed app attempts, always at coffee shops that usually ended as awkwardly as they started. Oh, and her and Talia’s last attempt to mutually matchmake for each other, to which they had both vowednever again.Funny how two best friends could have such utterly different ideas when it came to men in this city.
Nora remembered she had yet to respond to Talia’s earlier text. She quickly took a moment to shoot her friend two photos back – Beck in profile as he contemplated the Central Park menorah, and her fancy Fig & Pom martini sitting on its Tavern on the Green cocktail napkin – with little context:
It’s after noon, but that’s all I know…
She made a mental note to call Talia later. Right now, she was on the clock.
Still, it was easy to spend a few of her twenty minutes picking up some items for them to nosh on after they lit the candles. Libby was the better fridge-stocker of the two, and with Talia not far, meal planning rarely fell upon Nora’s shoulders. But part of being a good tour guide was sharing your favorite parts of the city and that meant its food, too.
