METROPOLITAN DIARY
Corner Cabinet
Dear Diary:
I live in Astoria. One day, while I was out walking and talking on the phone with my mom, I saw a porter put a beautiful corner cabinet next to a pile of trash outside the church a few doors down from my building.
It was a quality piece that I knew would look great in my apartment, so I ran home to grab a measuring tape and then returned to see whether it was the right size.
As I was measuring, I heard a gentle voice from behind me.
Will it fit?
I turned around to see a young man standing there.
I said goodbye to my mom and turned back to the young man.
I think so, I said.
I will carry it for you, if youd like, he said.
How could I refuse?
Without saying a word, he lifted the cabinet up easily and hoisted it over his shoulder. We set off down the street and then up the stairs when we got to my building.
Once we had gotten inside and the cabinet was in place, I wasnt sure how to thank him.
He noticed my piano.
Will you play me a song?
Katie Coleman
A True Gentleman
Dear Diary:
I hopped into a cab that was stopped at a red light on Park Avenue. The taxi was immaculate, and the driver was, as my parents would say, a true gentleman.
Suddenly, halfway to where I was going, he asked: As we are at a red light, may I feed the birds?
Yes, I nodded.
He hopped out of the cab clutching a large bag of seed and began to spread it among a sizable group of pigeons that were loitering on the mall.
Do you do this often? I asked when he returned.
Its hard to find a meal in winter, especially for smaller birds, he said.
Then he burrowed into another bag to throw a large bread crumb or two to an expectant sparrow.
Marcia D.B. Levy
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/27/nyregion/metropolitan-diary.html