“Yes, a building. An arena. They play basketball, have concerts and rodeos inside. It is known for the big corn festival. Every year they put up new murals made of corn.”

“Maybe I’ll walk by it when I leave,” I said.

“No, it is not worth the trip.” A couple minutes later he said, “We are here.”

I had my head down, my hands on my temples, and I slowly looked up. Leszek’s house was a humble, redbrick structure with an immaculate yard with pruned hedges and conically shaped pine trees. In contrast, the rest of the neighborhood looked blighted. The home next door looked like a crack house.

He pulled his car into the driveway. “It is not the Corn Palace, but it is home to me.” He laughed at this.

“You live alone?”

“Yes. I live alone.” He smiled. “No wife to wonder if I have been out with a girlfriend this late at night.”

He held my arm as we walked up the concrete stairs to his front porch. There was a green metal mezuzah case affixed to the right side of the door frame. I knew what a mezuzah was because one of my father’s clients was Jewish and my father had pointed it out to me once when he took me to his house.

Leszek unlocked his door and we stepped into his front room. The home smelled of some spice I didn’t recognize, and the aroma made me feel a little more nauseous. The interior was plain, but tidy and warm, with red shag carpet and a white-brick fireplace mantel. Above it was a picture that looked to be one of those color-by-numbers paintings that haven’t been popular for forty years. Most noticeably there was a grand piano that took up most of the room. The expensive instrument looked out of place in the humble home.

“Make yourself at home,” Leszek said. “Have a seat on the couch. I will get you some water to take your pills. The nurse said to take another dose before you go to sleep.” He left the room.

I slowly sat down. The couch was covered in a dated red-and-gold-pattern fabric, and it sagged a little in the middle. Leszek returned with a glass of water and two pills. “This will help you sleep,” he said.

I didn’t think I would need help.

I took the pills and popped them into my mouth, followed by a drink of water. The water was warm and I gagged a little.

“Now you should sleep. You can sleep in the bedroom next to mine. My grandson uses it when he visits, so it is a little messy. He is a messy boy. Come with me.”

I stood up and followed him down a short hallway. “Here is his room.” He turned on a light switch. “He is a messy boy.”