15. Have Fun Tonight
‘Hypnotherapy for smoking cessation,’ Tony said, between bites of вареники - vareniki cherry dumplings, slathered in so much sour cream that their sweet and tart innards turned a lovely Soviet pink.
We sat at a table at the very front of Skovorodka, a Russian restaurant on the main drag of Brighton Beach Avenue. Before me was Tony, behind him was a window to the street. And in front of that window, on the sidewalk, was the backside of a large statue of a ferocious Russian bear showing its fangs. The bear wore a lovely plaque around his neck inviting customers to enter. I had taken a cup of coffee and a large rectangular slice of Napoleon cake. I had touched neither. I had busied my mouth with an explanation of my sighs.
‘Interesting. And how did that work for you?’
