He got up and went back to the stove, returning with a teakettle. “It is Campbell’s Bean with Bacon soup.”

“Campbell’s?” I ate another bite of bread.

“I have no wife. You expect maybe something fancy homemade?”

“I like Campbell’s Bean with Bacon soup. My mother used to make it for me when I was a boy.” I ate another spoonful. “I guess you don’t really make it. You heat it.”

Leszek lifted the teakettle and poured my cup to the brim.

“What is that?” I asked.

He sat back down. “Ginger tea. Ginger tea is good for the dizziness. How do you feel? Are you still dizzy?”

“Not as dizzy,” I said.

“I am happy to know this.” He slapped his hands on his thighs. “Oh, it is good to have a guest in my home.”

“I don’t know how to thank you,” I said.

He swatted at the air. “I do not need a thank-you. It is good to have the company.” He smiled. “You say you walked from Rapid City?”

“I came through Rapid City. But I started in Seattle.”

His bushy eyebrows rose in surprise. “You said you were from Seattle. I did not think you had walked from there. That is a long way. Why does a man walk from Seattle to Mitchell, South Dakota?”

I buttered another piece of bread. “To see the Corn Palace, of course.”

He looked at me as if he were trying to decide if I was telling the truth. Finally he said, “No.”

“You’re right. I’m kidding. I’m just passing through South Dakota. I’m walking to Key West, Florida.” I took another bite.

He watched me eat, then said, “Key West, Florida. Yes, I know Key West, Florida. So you are like my grandson, you have no wife to keep you home.”

I looked up at him. “No, I don’t.”

He nodded. “So why does a clever man walk from Seattle to Key West?”

“What makes you think I’m clever?”

“You use words that are clever. A man’s words say more about a man than his clothes. Because English is not my mother language I am more aware of words that are clever.”

“I was in advertising,” I said.

“Like to make the television commercials?”

“Yes. But I did more magazine ads and product design.”

“Have you made commercials I would know?”

“Probably not. My clients were mostly confined to Washington.”

“The capital Washington, D.C.?”

“No. Washington state.”

He nodded. “Of course. Of course. Seattle.” He took a bite of bread. “Were you good at your advertising?”

“Some people thought so. They gave me awards.”

“Is that what makes you good? The awards?”

“No. They are only symptoms of the disease. Not the disease itself.”