The man stood over the table, stinking of sweat and redolent of kitchen, a sharp pungency. Jamie looked past him to the menu, a handlettered cardboard stuck on the wall. The writing was Italian or could have been English translation; it didn’t matter which for it meant nothing to him. He looked to the man. The man seemed to be waiting for this. He said, “So, you.”

“I had lunch yesterday. I never had nothing like that before. It was good. So I came back for more.”

The man looked at Jamie. His face did not change. Without nodding or making acknowledgment of any sort he said, “All right. Spaghetti then.”

“No. I want something different this time.”

The man’s head tilted just off-center. “What different?”

“Well I don’t know.” He angled an index finger toward the cardboard. “I don’t know what any of that means. Just so you know.”

The man broke in. “What you want then? What you want here?”

Jamie nodded as if admitting the problem of the question. Then said, “Bring me something good. Up to you. Bring me what you’d want, you hadn’t eaten since yesterday, what you’d fix for yourself. How’s that sound?”

Now the man frowned at him. “You want something different. Not everyday. All right. But, if you don’t like.”

Jamie stood fast and put out his hand, too fast for the man to more than draw up to himself. “My name’s Pelham. Jamie Pelham. Now, I wasn’t thinking on my feet last night. Wrong maybe but it’s no crime. Most folks do it one time or another. What I’m saying is you done right how you tossed me out. I was you, I’d have done the same. Just so you know I understand.”

The man looked at him, looked down at the hand. Then took it up. “Victor Fortini. Victor to you.”

Jamie said, “You know your food. I don’t. So bring me what you’d eat, you was me. I like it or not, that’s my risk. What I think, you don’t take a little risk here and there, you never learn anything.”

The man dropped his hand. Still studying Jamie. After a moment he said, “It’ll take a few minutes.”

“That’s all right. This afternoon, I’m in no particular hurry at all.”