Page 4 of You Had Me at Hockey

Then I go change and get ready for lunch. It’s frickin’ cold out, so I dress in jeans, a thin black turtleneck with a huge chunky cardigan over it, and knee-high boots. I brush out my hair and put on a little makeup in Harper’s honor—mascara and pink lip gloss. We’re meeting at a place on Lexington, which I can walk to. As well as my coat, I add a hat, a big scarf, and sunglasses.

I walk briskly a couple of blocks over to Lexington and then down to the restaurant. I see Harper already at a table. I love Harper—she’s great at what she does and she’s been fantastic for my career—but lately there’ve been a few times we haven’t quite seen eye to eye. Apparently she has a few new things lined up she wants to run past me.

I enter the restaurant, reveling in the warm, delicious-food-scented air, and head straight to her table. She stands and smiles, her lips bright red, her brown skin smooth and perfect, her hair a mass of gorgeous natural curls around her face.

We greet each other with a hug, and I hang my coat on a nearby hook.

I pick up my menu. “I love this place,” I say. “I never know what to have. Everything is good. And I love that it’s all plant based and organic.”

“I appreciate that,” says vegan Harper. “I’m going to have the vegetable tajine.”

“Yum.” I make a face, trying to decide. “Okay. I love this Tibetan bowl—brown rice, coconut peanut butter curry sauce, greens, and kimchi.”

The waitress comes and we order, both of us electing to drink water. She sets a carafe of water on the table for us.

“So what were you working on this morning?” Harper asks.

“Chocolate chip cookies.”

“That seems…tame.”

“It was tame until all the cookies landed on the floor. You know me by now. I make the most ordinary things weird.”

She laughs. “True.”

“I have a ton of editing to do tonight on it. But this afternoon I’m recording a podcast.” I just started doing podcasts and they haven’t exactly taken off as I’d hoped.

“That’s one of the things I want to talk to you about,” she says. “I have a couple of ideas for podcasts.”

“Okay, great.” I’m totally open to ideas that will get more listeners.

“What about this. Have you heard of Elijah Thomas?”

“No.”

“He’s sixty-seven years old and was discovered while busking in a subway station.”

“Singing?”

“Yes. He joined the group Ten Times Soul and his first album is coming out later this year.”

“That is so cool! I love it.” I could have so much fun with a sixty-seven-year-old subway busker.

“Fantastic! I’ll let them know and we’ll set it up. Here’s another idea. What do you think of hockey?”

I shrug. “It’s a sport.”

She laughs. “Yes, it is. And it’s getting really popular. Well, it’s been popular in New York for a long time, but across the country it’s growing.”

“You want me to interview some jock with no teeth?”

She lowers her chin and gives me a chiding look. “Sara.”

“I’m not being mean! I think it would be cool. I love that player in California. I forget his name, he has a huge, long beard and no front teeth. I love that he’s so real. That would be freakin’ awesome!” I don’t know much about hockey or any sport, but that’s never stopped me from talking about it. Maybe I’ll learn something.

“Excellent. There’s a new player in town and the Bears are trying to get him out in the community in front of the fans.”

“What’s his name?”

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