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me at every turn. I don’t know why, but sunglasses are the things I lose the most traveling. I never have a pair handy. The last pair of sunglasses I purchased fell out of my bag on the plane and I stepped on them, completely shattering the lenses. I handed them off to the flight attendant with a shrug of my shoulders. This trip to New York is too short. I have no time to hop on the subway to Chinatown and pick up a new pair. That’s what I would have done tonight if I hadn’t impulsively asked Laura out for dinner.
    “We should break up for good, Lee. You don’t seem interested in coming home and taking the job at your father’s friend’s firm. And I haven’t seen you in six months.”
    Sandra’s last email bounces around in my head twenty-four-hours a day now. I haven’t spoken to her in three weeks, and she’s done nothing to keep in touch since. No more emails, no texts, no calls. Nothing. No, I don’t want to move back home to Seattle. No, I don’t want to practice boring corporate law. I asked Sandra to move to Seoul six months ago, and she turned me down then suggested we see other people. Last week, my older brother, Jin, and I FaceTimed so I could chat with my nephews and he said Sandra was at Jerrod’s wedding with my ex-best friend, Matt.
    I know Sandra. She thinks Matt is an asshole with a huge ego, and she’s always secretly hated him. Between being his wedding date in full view of my sister and her silence, Sandra’s baiting me again. The price for getting her back this time will be painfully high. All or nothing. I’m leaning towards never calling her again.  
    I slow my pace, realizing I’m walking at light speed, in and out of other suits on their way home from work. My anger at Sandra has propelled me down ten blocks so fast I’m breaking a sweat. I need to slow down and take a look around for once. I’m in New York, not Seoul, not Shanghai, not Tokyo. This block of Forty-fourth Street is not as busy as Fifth Avenue, and my stride shortens even more, leisurely observing every window, every person passing me, every car double parked on the street. A strong breeze sends bits of dust flying into my eyes, and I shut them and turn away. Laura is right. It is a shame I’m never in a city long enough to enjoy the sights, the sounds, or the culture. But what’s the point? I could lengthen my trips, but I get lonely. Cities can be good friends, fast and exciting, familiar and loving, until you’re waiting for a table for one, then they’re cold and empty.
    My iPhone buzzes in my pocket, and I pull it out to find a text from my best friend, Cori, back in Seoul.

    Cori Winslow
    You’re home on Sunday, right?  
    Chris, Evie, and I were hoping you’d have lunch with us before you recover from your trip.

    Seoul is about thirteen hours ahead of New York, so Cori must be up for the day and making plans for the whole weekend.

    Lee Park
    No. Flight lands at 4pm your time. Better make it dinner. I’ll sleep on the plane.

    It’s 6:15 now, and I told Laura to meet me between 6:30 and 7:00, so I pick up my pace and stride into the hotel, checking the bar. No Laura. She’s not here yet. What if she stands me up? I don’t have her phone number or even her last name. What if I’ve successfully asked a woman out to dinner for the first time in three years, and she blows me off?

    Cori Winslow
    Sounds good. Are you getting dinner tonight any place special?

    This is why Cori is my best friend, though technically her husband holds that role. She can read my mind.
    I have barely enough time to get upstairs and change before meeting Laura, and I punch the elevator buttons forcefully as if that’ll get me to my suite faster.  

    Lee Park
    Don’t know where I’m eating.
    Truth, I asked a woman I met yesterday at the hotel bar if she’d have dinner with me.
    Bad idea?

    In my room, I throw my bag on the bed and sit down for a moment in the desk chair. My phone buzzes again, and this time I hesitate