I have come after them and made repair
Where they have left not one stone on a stone . . .
– Robert Frost, “Mending Wall”
– Robert Frost, “Mending Wall”
Putting on his overshoes and about to begin his working day, Leonard Vogel heard his wife call from the next room: “Lee, you have to be crazy to go out in such weather!”
“It’s not so bad, Ev,” he replied, “a little cold, a little wet. Besides, I’m local today, not schlepping to Queens or Staten Island.” He paused reflectively then added sotto voce, “Snow would be another thing. I couldn’t see the markers.”
“So, go then,” he heard her call again. “As usual, there’s no stopping you. But bundle up.”
Though hardly in response to her command, Vogel buttoned his fleece-lined raincoat over two sweaters up to the neck, pulled his broad-brimmed black-leather cowboy hat (this item a rare indulgence) down to nearly his ears, fitted its drawstring to his chin to guard against the wind, then grabbed a leather briefcase with a well-gloved hand and set out.
He had been doing the work for years now. It seemed to him a far cry from running the tie shop. There, toward the last, his trade had not been very brisk, even before Father’s Day and Christmas. Casual Fridays had been increasingly followed by casual Mondays through Thursdays. And in the age of T-shirts and jeans, who needed ties? So he gave up the business and retired, the shop becoming first a gyro joint and, more recently, a vegan café.
His new occupation, obsession some...
Subscribe now to keep reading
Please enter your email to log in or create a new account.