Two Men and a Pie.

One older man with a deep half-colored comb-over sat with his back to me in the outdoor cafe this morning. Another man, wearing nearly identical outfit to the already seated man, except with no hair left to comb, approached and greeted his fellow with a handshake.

“The order’s in,” the man with the slicked hair and loafers notified.
“Did you get the pie?” The bald and tennis shoe donning one asked.
“Oh of course. Oh, here’s our coffee,” the other explained.

They sat for a moment sipping their first tastes of coffee on this muggy and bright morning. As I sipped my coffee I looked around and noticed how alive Irving Street was for an early Friday morning (and then I realized I had never been on Irving Street that early, nor on a Friday morning).

“The streets are so alive. New York always bustling,” one of the men observed.
“It’s amazing- always busy, people have things to do, it’s really wonderful.”
These comments made me smile. These men sitting at breakfast, still marveling at the pace of New York life, and still loving it though their pace has changed. I imagine I’ll be the same.

“Oh look! Look at her hair!”
“It’s so red!”
“It’s a really deep red! That’s beautiful!”
“That is a beautiful color- just lovely! And she’s so young, so you know it’s not dyed.”
“I like red hair.”
“Oh yes, me too”
The men smiled as they watched a 2 year old trot down the street with one hand in her mother’s, the other flapping as she walked. Her hair was quite a bright red.

Their orders came- one fruit bowl, one piece of pie...
“And I brought two plates so you can share, is that right?” Said the waitress.
“That’s right Barbara, you got it!” They agreed, and happily inhaled the smells of their food.

“Did you see Sex in the City last night?” The bald one asked.
“No. No I didn’t. What happened?”
“Well Carrie has this friend...” the man began- and he recited the entire episode- each of the four plot lines, and didn’t fail to refer to Samantha as “the sexy one.”

They chatted on about the TV show, about Rita and her job, and how things at the house are going well.
“Oh there she is again! That hair is just gorgeous!” Comb-over exclaimed.
“Aw, just look at the way she walks! So happy!” Said the other, who was now well into his part of the pie, napkin tucked into his shirt.

They finished up their meal, paid their check, and parted with another hand shake. They had had their coffee and solved a few problems.

“Well, see you back at the house.”
“Yes, I’ll see you.”