on East Fif ty - sefenth Street a little before eight and had to wait for several minutes before she managed to hail an empty taxi.
'Allen's, please,' she said to the taxi driver.
'On Third Avenue!
'Yes.'
'Sure thing, miss,' he replied.
When Florentyna arrived at the restaurant, she was a few minutes late.
Her eyes began to search for the young man. He was standing at the bar, waving. He had changed into a pair of grey flannel slacks and a blue blazer. Very Ivy League, thought Florentyna, but very good looking.
'I'm sorry to be late,'she began.
'It's not important. What's important is that you came!
Tou thought I wouldn't?'said Florentyna.
'I wasn't sure! He smiled. 'I'm sorry, I don't know your name.'
'Jessie Kovats,' said Florentyna., determined not to give away her alias.
'And yours?'
'Richard Kanc.' said the young man, thrusting out his hand.
She took it and he held on to her a little longer than she had expected.
'And what do you do when you're not buying gloves at Bloomingdale's?' she teased.
'I'm at Harvard Business School.'
'I'm surprised they didn't teach you that most people only have two hands.'
He laughed and smiled in such a relaxed and friendly way that she wished she could start again and tell hirn they might have met in Cambridge when she was at Radcliffe.
'Shall we order?' he said, taking her arm and leading. her to a table.
Florentyna looked up at the menu on the blackboard, 'Salisbury steak?' she queried.
'A hamburger by any other name,' said Richard.
They both laughed, in the way two people do when they don't know each other, but want to. She could see he was surprised that she might have known his out - of - context quotation.
Florentyna had rarely enjoyed anyone's company mom Richard chatted about New York, the theatre and music - so obviously his first love - with such grace and charm that she was fully at ease. He may have thought she was a salesgirl but he was treating her as if she'd come from one of the oldest Brahmin families. He hoped he wasn't too surprised by her passion for the same things because, when he in., quired, she told him nothing more than that she was Polish and lived in New York with her parents. As the evening progressed the deception became increasingly intolerabbi, Still, she thought, we may never see each other again aftev tonight, and then it will all be irrelevant.
When the evening did come to an end and neither of them could drink any more coffee, they left Allen's and Richard looked for a taxi, the only ones they saw were an full.
'Where do you liveT he asked.
'Fifty - seventh Street,' she said, not thinking about her reply.
'Then's let's w4k)' said Richard, taking Florentyna's hand.
She smiled her agreement. They started walking, stopping and looking at shop windows, laughing and smiling. Neither of them noticed the empty taxis that now rushed past them. It took them almost an hour to cover the sixteen blocks and Florentyna nearly told him the truth. When they reached Fifty - seventh Street she stopped outside a small old apartment house, some hundred yards from her own home.
'This is where my parents, live,' she said.
He seemed to hesitate and then let go of her hand.
'I hope you will see me again,' said Richard.
'I'd like that,' replied Florentyna in a polite, dismissive way.
'Tomorrow?' asked Richard diffidently.
'Tomorrow?'
lies, why don't we go to the Blue Angel and see Bobby Short?' He took her hand again. 'It's a little more romantic than AlleWs.'
Florentyna was momentarily taken aback. Her plans for Richard had not included any provisions for tomorrows.
'Not if you don't want to,' he added before she could re)cover.
'I'd love to,' she said quietly.
'I'm having dinner with my father, so why don't I pick you up at ten o1clock?'
'No, no,' said Florentyna, 'I'll meet you there, It's only two blocks away.'
Ten o'clock then,' he bent forward and kissed her gently on the cheek.
'Good night, Jessie,' he said, and disappeared into the night.
Florentyna walked slowly back to her apartment, wishing she hadn't told so many lies about herself. Still, it might be over in a few days. She couldn't help feeling that she hoped it wouldn't.
Maisie, who hadn't yet forgiven her, sp ent a considerable part of the next day asking all about Richard. Florentyna kept trying unsuccessfully to change the subject.
Floreneyna left Bloomingdale's the moment the store closed, the first time in nearly two years that she had left before Maisie. She had a long bath, put on the prettiest dress