Hartford, CT

Friday October 13, 1961

Mike was eating his lunch at his desk and lazily browsing through the most recent issue of The Architectural Review when his phone started ringing.

He was on his break and he didn't want to pick up the phone if it was a business call but, with nearly everyone out of the office, he was admittedly a little bored. He decided that if it wasn't someone he wanted to deal with right away he could brush them off temporarily, make up some sort of an excuse, and call them back once he'd finished eating. Besides, it couldn't possibly be an important client, if they were they'd be calling Felix or the boss.

Mike dropped his sandwich and his magazine and tipped his chair sideways, putting himself in a precarious position so that he could snatch his phone.

"Strauss Architecture, this is Mike McGarry speaking."

"Hi, Mike," greeted the voice on the other end of the line.

The gruff voice was unmistakable, his kid brother was only 19 but he'd sounded like a middle-aged man since his voice had broken in high school. Mike hadn't been around then, he'd already been to Korea and back again, had graduated from Yale, had made a home for himself in Hartford, far from the home he'd abandoned at 18 when Leo had only been 6, but he'd heard the change through the countless phone conversations they'd had over the years.

"Hey kid, how's the Air Force treating you?" Mike asked, excited to be talking to his brother instead of a client.

"Oh, fine, fine. Mike?" Leo clearly wanted to cut to the chase.

"Yeah?"

"You know how I've got leave scheduled for next week?" Leo asked.

"Yeah, I remember, weren't you going to go do something wild god knows where with the guys?" Mike asked, proud of himself for remembering at least part of their last conversation.

"Yeah, well about that, the plans fell through, so I was wondering-"

"You wanna come over to visit?" Mike guessed.

"Uh, yeah, if it isn't a bother."

"Of course you can! Thursday, right?"

"That's right, next Thursday."

"Well, Thursday it is then. I've got to go to work of course but we can do something afterward, and when I clock out on Friday we'll have the whole weekend," Mike said, flipping through his calendar checking to see if he had anything fun planned that he could drag his little brother to.

"Oh, don't worry, I'm sure I can keep myself occupied while you're at work."

"You're right, plenty to do around here. Oh shit-" Mike said as his fingers came to a halt on October 19. "I don't have work on Thursday."

"And that's a bad thing?"

"No, no, it isn't. I just forgot, the boss canceled because it's his grandson's bris."

There had been a round of cheers when Jakob Strauss had announced that no one would be coming into the office next Thursday because he had a brand new grandson who'd be in need of a bris. Everyone was glad for the day off even if it meant they'd have extra work to get done on Wednesday and Friday.

"Bris?"

"You know, ritual circumcision. Come on, Leo, we grew up next to the Jewish part of town. Mr. Kaplan would kick you out of his deli if he ever found out you asked me what a bris was."

"Yeah, yeah, I remember now. Just needed to have my memory jogged a bit, ok?"

"Anyway, Mr. Strauss, my boss, he invited me. Would you mind if I bring you along?"

"You sure that'd be alright, they wouldn't mind?" Leo asked, not wanting to intrude.

"Who, the Lymans? Of course they won't mind. Ada, that's the boss's daughter, she treats me like a big brother and I was at Yale with Noah, her husband. I'm practically family, and that means you're practically family too."

"Mike, I haven't even met them, how do you know they'll-"

"Doesn't matter, they'll love you- welcome you with open arms and all that," Mike insisted.

"Well, if you're sure," Leo replied skeptically

"Of course I'm sure, it'll be great!" Mike said as he gathered up his sandwich again.

"Ok, then."

"Perfect. I'll pick you up from the station and we'll head straight to Westport," Mike declared before taking a generous bite of his lunch, savoring the perfectly sliced pastrami with a smile on his face as he thought of the fun Leo was sure to have meeting the Lymans.