CHAPTER 28
November still had a few picturesque days left. It was a glorious New York City autumn afternoon with temperatures in the mid-60s. The only thing missing was Jen. If she had been there, they could have sipped the champagne that was waiting for them in the limo sent by Howell. They could have made love in the huge suite Adam had at the Waldorf.
After a stroll along the magnificent avenues of the city, Adam returned to the hotel. Under his door was an envelope from the concierge. In it were two tickets for the night’s performance of Longer than Always, which had recently begun a run at a prestigious off-Broadway theater. Howell must have thought that Jen was actually showing up. Too bad Adam didn’t know how to reach the rabbi; he probably would have enjoyed the show. Adam showered, and while he would normally have dressed down to go see an off-Broadway play alone on a Sunday night, out of respect for Eunice and Sammy(who he felt he knew through Eunice’s enchanted tales about him), he wore gray wool pants, a gray cashmere shirt, a Loro Piana black leather belt, and black leather Prada loafers (a few leftovers from when he was in the money). A clean shave and some unassuming cologne completed his New York look.
Adam hailed a cab and headed to the theater, extra ticket in tow. Good theater always nourishes the soul, pumping it full of creative stimuli that only quality performance art can do. There was still an hour before the curtain rose. A small group of people milled outside — most of them smoking all they could before the show. Nobody was looking for a ticket. Determined not to let the ticket go to waste, Adam wandered up the street and into a small tavern, sparsely decorated with hundreds of chrome picture frames containing candid black-and-white photos. Nobody famous, as far as Adam could tell.
“Welcome to Nineteen Friends,” said the curly-haired bartender, as he wiped down the spot at the bar where Adam sat. “What can I get ‘cha?”
“Ketel One and soda, please. Interesting name for a bar,” Adam said, making conversation.
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