Chance Meetings

Single means alone and I never thought that was my calling.  But I did hope to move in the world in a unique fashion, even if it meant being by myself.  I traveled to New York City last week for several appointments and to see art. I always knew that I would end up  walking the city, in  spite of the heat, to see all the changes close-up . Visits to MoMA and the Met Museum (to see the amazing Japanese Bamboo Collection) were also in my plans.  I walked up Park Avenue from the Village and it seemed that every parking lot had become a luxury skyscraper.

Sarabeth’s Kitchen caught my eye, so I decided to get brunch.  It was bustling, but I got a good seat. Before I was ready to leave, a woman sat down beside me.  She seemed to know what she wanted — herbal tea and biscuits. At first we dared not speak – was it out of respect for each other’s privacy or was it simple shyness? She was wearing a headscarf and I assumed she was visiting from the Middle East. I soon learned she was living in a neighboring hotel in  New York and also had a home in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. We talked briefly about her country and also about how much she liked New York City. She thought I would like Saudi Arabia and assured me I would not need to wear a hijab there. Her English was impeccable. This “chance meeting” was not long, but it was made possible because we were both traveling alone.

The next day, I walked to MoMA  and saw the fantastic Frank Lloyd Wright architectural drawings. I was most familiar with Fallingwater, which was designed for the Kaufmann department store family. But for some reason, I had not realized that Point State Park in Pittsburgh had been designed by Wright, also under the direction of Edgar Kaufmann.  While in the cafe, I met a Russian woman from Moscow. The language barrier was harder to overcome this time, but I found her interesting and animated. I eventually learned that she worked in theater.  She said her country had troubles. And I said yes, ours, too. We couldn’t say much more. We each went our way, happy for the chance to have met.