As the bus arrived at the Greyhound station in Manhattan, Max felt as if he were entering a whole new world. All the grief and sorrow he'd known in his hometown now seemed far away, and he was eager to begin this new chapter of his life.
When he got off the bus and exited the terminal, he was greeted by the sight of a large crowd of people carrying signs and banners. He saw one that said 'Power to the People.'
More anti-war protesters, he thought as he sighed and shook his head. Then he noticed a couple more banners with different messages: 'Gay Pride' and 'Lesbians Are Lovely.'
What's going on? he wondered, but quickly brushed the question aside. He needed to find a place to stay, then check on the job opening at the Volkswagen dealership. He found a newspaper stand that still had a few newspapers left. He bought one and turned to the classifieds, where he perused the 'apartments for rent' section.
He found several he liked and thought he could afford and boarded the city bus to visit them. To his consternation, they all turned out to be already rented. By the time he left the last one on his list, the sun was going down, and he realized he was starving. He'd eaten the lunch Elizabeth had packed for him many hours ago.
As he walked along the street, delicious aromas from various eating establishments wafted to his nostrils, and he suddenly realized he was standing right in front of a Mom and Pop Inn.
It was painted white and was two stories high, and nestled between two taller buildings. The sign above the door read 'Rikki's.' Intrigued, he entered the building to find himself standing inside a brightly lit restaurant with cheerful paintings on the walls. The tables were round and were covered with white tablecloths, and each held a vase containing a differently colored flower.
He was still standing there, drinking in the sight, when a smiling young woman approached him.
She was of average height and weight, with dark brown hair and eyes. Her smile revealed perfect, dazzling white teeth.
"Can I help you?" she asked.
"I - I'd like a menu," Max stammered.
"Certainly." She nodded toward the nearest table. "Have a seat, and I'll bring it right away."
Max pulled out one of the dark brown chairs and sat down. The atmosphere of the room and the warmth of the young woman's smile made him feel at home.
She returned a few seconds later with the menu she'd promised him. He perused it and quickly became puzzled.
"You don't have fried chicken?" he asked when the young woman returned a few minutes later.
"Do you mean schnitzel?" she asked.
"What's that?"
"Chicken dipped in egg, rolled in flour with herbs and spices, and then fried."
"Yes! That's exactly what I want!"
"Would you like potato salad or fried potatoes to go with it?"
"Potato salad is fine."
While waiting for his food, Max thought about his family at home and wondered what his mother had prepared for dinner. He knew that, whatever it was, it was delicious. His mouth began to water just thinking about it.
After what seemed like a long time, the young woman brought his food, which was steaming hot.
"Enjoy it," she told him. "If you need anything else, my name's Toni."
"Thank you," he replied. "I'm Max."
He broke off a piece of the chicken with his fork, blew on it to cool it, and tasted it. It was very different from his mother's fried chicken, but as hungry as he was, he wasn't going to be picky about that.
A few minutes later, Toni returned to ask how everything was going.
"Fine," he told her. "This is delicious."
She frowned. "You don't sound like you're from around here."
"I'm not." He laughed. "I rode a Greyhound bus all morning long to get here. I've always dreamed of coming to New York City, and I finally decided it was time to make that dream come true. There was some kind of protest march going on when I got off the bus."
"The police raided the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village a few days ago," Toni explained. "It's a place where homosexuals like to hang out, and now they're protesting the raid."
"Homosexuality is contrary to nature, and against the Bible," said Max. "That's what I've always been taught, at least."
"There are a lot of them here in Manhattan," Toni replied. "I've always gotten along with them fine. They're people, just like everybody else."
