Toni slid into the chair across from Max as naturally as you please.
"So, what brings you to Manhattan?" she asked with a friendly smile.
"I've always wanted to see New York City," he replied. "How long have you lived here?"
"All my life," she replied. "My parents came here from Europe right before the war ended. My father worked in a factory until he was laid off during the Eisenhower Recession. After that happened, he took out a bank loan and started this inn."
"Who's Rikki?" asked Max after he'd swallowed a mouthful of delicious potato salad.
"That was my mom's childhood nickname," Toni replied. "Her real name's Erika. I was named after her younger sister, Antonia, who died at Auschwitz."
Max almost choked as a cold chill went up his spine. He'd heard of the suffering that had taken place in the concentration camps, of course, and had seen some very disturbing photographs, but he'd never met a concentration camp survivor in person.
He felt the warmth of a gentle hand on his arm and looked up into Toni's eyes.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to upset you."
"It's all right." Max managed a shaky smile. "I was just a bit startled, is all. I'm very sorry about what happened to your aunt."
"Her parents perished there as well." Toni's eyes held a faraway look. "My mother would have too, if not for the Red Army. My father was part of it. That's how they met."
"That's nice." Max couldn't think of anything else to say.
Toni grinned. "That's enough about me for now. I want to hear about you, Max."
In her eyes, he saw a playful teasing that made him gulp.
"I grew up in a small town many miles from here," he told her. "You've probably never even heard of it. I have a younger sister and a little brother. I worked as a Volkswagen salesman until I was sent to Vietnam. I came back home a little over a year ago."
He was torn between whether or not to mention Stephen.
"So you came here to New York to make a new start?"
"Exactly! Tomorrow I'll visit the Volkswagen dealership in town to see about a job."
"I hope you get it!"
"Thank you."
He'd finished his dinner, and she collected the plate, glass, and silverware to take back to the kitchen.
"Are you spending the night with us?" she asked Stephen.
"Yes." He had no intention of walking around a strange city alone in the dark.
"Great!" She smiled. "I'll show you to your room."
She led him up a staircase to a hallway containing several doors, then opened the first one and led him in.
The room was small but immaculate. The walls were painted eggshell blue, and on the bed was a matching quilt. A dark brown dresser stood in one corner, and beside the bed was a matching table with a lamp. A navy blue shag rug was on the floor.
"The bathroom's at the end of the hallway," said Toni. "If you need anything, I'll be downstairs."
Even though he was exhausted, sleep didn't come easily to Max. He couldn't get Toni out of his mind. Despite her family's tragic history, she seemed to harbor no bitterness. How would she feel if she knew about his father's past - not so much his father specifically, but the uniform he'd worn and what it had stood for? Would she hate him? How would he feel if the situation were reversed?
And what about Stephen? Toni's had been the first friendly face he'd seen since his arrival in Manhattan, and in addition to the tenderness he'd already begun to feel for her, there was also a longing to get to know her, a desire to spend time with her. With Stephen so recently gone, was it wrong of him to even think such thoughts?
With a deep sigh, he threw his pillow against the wall in frustration.
In the wee hours of the morning, he finally fell asleep and dozed for a few fitful hours. He awakened to find the sunshine streaming through the window and looked at the clock on the wall to see it was nine thirty.
"I've got to get going!" he said to himself. Alarmed, he hurriedly dressed and went downstairs, where Toni waited with the rest of her family.
"Are you all right?" she asked him. "I was worried about you!"
Max smiled. "No need to worry. I'm fine. Sorry I overslept."
"Oh, that's all right!" said Toni. "Come and have breakfast. Do you take sugar and cream in your coffee?"
"Yes, please."
"I'd like you to meet my family," Toni said as she pulled out a chair for him. "This is my father, Yuri, my mother, Erika, my sister, Sonya, and my brother, Aaron."
Yuri and Erika had wrinkles around their eyes and dark hair streaked with white. They spoke fluent English but with noticeable accents. Sonya resembled her sister closely but looked to be several years younger, and Aaron was a dark-haired teenage boy with an easy smile.
Max chatted with the family as he ate and, when he was finished, set out for the Volkswagen dealership.
