You are on the upper west side
You walk past the second hand book store
And glance at the $1 trolleys and crates
Sitting on the sidewalk
A book with a yellow and red cover
Draws you in
The Telling Room
It is about cheese
The Wall Street Journal — according to the blurb on the back --
Says it is “a must read for all who think of Spain as magical, who consider cheese as the ultimate gift of love, who love stories of betrayal, despair, revenge and redemption.”
Yes please!

You go inside the store to pay
You're waiting for the customer in front of me to finish their purchase
You look out the window and
There is a real life fairy browsing the books!
Right there is broad daylight!
On Broadway and 81st!
She is wearing a tall, pointy felted hat
With a red rim and a thick strand of purple felt dangling from the top of the pointy tip
A rainbow colored ribbon tied in a giant bow under her chin
Secures the hat
And frames her wizened face
Her coat is also felted, red and orange stripes
And flecks of dark purple
The coat is lined with the same deep dark purple
Visible from her rolled up cuffs
The coat buttons are crocheted
She is smiling while she peruses the books

The cashier is ready
You look up and see
An old friend from camp
And his mom
His sister, her daughter,
Was one of my first campers
When you were a guidance counselor
A thousand million years ago
Before COVID, cancer, FoCo, London, Aaron,
Before Kris ended the engagement, before the camino, and
During your very first overseas adventure
Now that sister/daughter/camper
Is a Mumma of her own to a mischievous baby boy
We catch up on the sidewalk

Then it is chorus rehearsal
You're told you didn’t see actually see a fairy — it's Purim! 
You still choose to believe you saw a fairy
You sing in Hebrew
The music is challenging and complex
And beautiful
As you're leaving rehearsal
Your friend passes you a homemade
Hamantaschen filled with apricot 

Even though it is cold out
You feel warm
All the way home.