breakfast in Korea?” he asked.
“Rice.”
“And lunch?” Mitchell asked.
“Rice.”
“And dinner?” Helena asked.
“Fish ... With rice.”
“Whatever you do,” Helena said, addressing the waitress, “do not give this girl any rice.”
Lily laughed.
Helena turned to her, saying, “You can have anything on here you want.”
That didn’t help, Jason noted.
Finally, Lily said, “I’ll have what he’s having,” pointing at Jason.
The waitress wandered off.
Mitchell leaned across the table, addressing Lily as he said, “So, what do you remember from your childhood? Say, when you were about three or four?”
Jason kicked him beneath the table.
Lily looked confused.
“Don’t worry about him,” Helena said. “Mitch was born with his foot in his mouth. That’s what I love about him.”
Lily blushed, and Jason wondered what was running through her mind. Here she was, thousands of miles from home, in a strange culture, surrounded by three Americans she didn’t know, unable to find her father. The poor girl must have been terrified, but she kept a brave face.
“You are all very kind,” she said. “I am lucky to have found you.”
Helena spoke in a serious tone, saying, “You need to be careful, Lily. New York is a dangerous place for a girl on her own.”
“Yeah,” Mitchell added, kicking Jason's feet. “You never know what weirdos you’ll meet.”
Jason smiled, shaking his head as Mitchell laughed.
Lily picked up on their banter and rested her hand on Jason’s knee, saying, “Jason is a gentleman. I feel safe with him.”
Jason turned his head slightly to one side and grinned at Mitchell. Mitch would know precisely the retort Jason wanted to utter to him at that point, something along the lines of, ‘Take that, Bitch! ’ Mitchell smiled knowingly.
Lily pointed at the computer tablet lying on the table and asked, “What's in the news?”
“The news?” Mitchell replied, sounding innocent. “Oh, funny you should ask.”
“Mitch, Honey,” Helena said, resting her hand on his forearm.
Jason jumped in with, “Mitch thinks New York is about to be invaded by aliens.”
“Really?” Lily asked, and Jason saw some of the naiveté he’d noted the night before. She seemed intelligent, but was easily led.
The waitress arrived carrying all four plates. She set them down and left.
“The odds are against it,” Jason said, pouring maple syrup over his pancakes. Lily copied him.
“Space is absurdly large,” he added, picking up a tiny speck of dust between his fingers and holding it up, examining it in the morning light, somewhat lost in thought. “If this was the sun ... Well, actually, even this is a bit too big. If our sun was a single blood cell, visible only under a microscope, then our galaxy, the Milky Way, would be the size of the Continental US.”
“And the nearest star?” Lily asked.
Jason looked out the window of the restaurant and across the street at Central Park. From their first floor booth, he could see over the tops of the trees. There were some kids throwing a frisbee in an open grassy patch by the lake.
“About there,” he replied, pointing at them. “Roughly two hundred yards away, perhaps a little more. And it too would be no more than a microscopic speck of dust.”
“What about Voyager?” Mitchell asked. “It's left the solar system and is headed toward the stars, right?”
“Well, yes and no,” Jason replied. “It all depends on how you define the solar system.”
Jason pulled a quarter out and put it on the table in front of him, with his finger resting in the middle of the coin.
“If the sun was the size of a blood cell, most of the planets, including Earth, would orbit inside this quarter. Voyager would be just marginally beyond our quarter. Voyager is beyond the most distant, recognized planet, and well beyond the heliopause, where solar winds buffet against interstellar space, but it's not really the edge of our solar system,
“Rice.”
“And lunch?” Mitchell asked.
“Rice.”
“And dinner?” Helena asked.
“Fish ... With rice.”
“Whatever you do,” Helena said, addressing the waitress, “do not give this girl any rice.”
Lily laughed.
Helena turned to her, saying, “You can have anything on here you want.”
That didn’t help, Jason noted.
Finally, Lily said, “I’ll have what he’s having,” pointing at Jason.
The waitress wandered off.
Mitchell leaned across the table, addressing Lily as he said, “So, what do you remember from your childhood? Say, when you were about three or four?”
Jason kicked him beneath the table.
Lily looked confused.
“Don’t worry about him,” Helena said. “Mitch was born with his foot in his mouth. That’s what I love about him.”
Lily blushed, and Jason wondered what was running through her mind. Here she was, thousands of miles from home, in a strange culture, surrounded by three Americans she didn’t know, unable to find her father. The poor girl must have been terrified, but she kept a brave face.
“You are all very kind,” she said. “I am lucky to have found you.”
Helena spoke in a serious tone, saying, “You need to be careful, Lily. New York is a dangerous place for a girl on her own.”
“Yeah,” Mitchell added, kicking Jason's feet. “You never know what weirdos you’ll meet.”
Jason smiled, shaking his head as Mitchell laughed.
Lily picked up on their banter and rested her hand on Jason’s knee, saying, “Jason is a gentleman. I feel safe with him.”
Jason turned his head slightly to one side and grinned at Mitchell. Mitch would know precisely the retort Jason wanted to utter to him at that point, something along the lines of, ‘Take that, Bitch! ’ Mitchell smiled knowingly.
Lily pointed at the computer tablet lying on the table and asked, “What's in the news?”
“The news?” Mitchell replied, sounding innocent. “Oh, funny you should ask.”
“Mitch, Honey,” Helena said, resting her hand on his forearm.
Jason jumped in with, “Mitch thinks New York is about to be invaded by aliens.”
“Really?” Lily asked, and Jason saw some of the naiveté he’d noted the night before. She seemed intelligent, but was easily led.
The waitress arrived carrying all four plates. She set them down and left.
“The odds are against it,” Jason said, pouring maple syrup over his pancakes. Lily copied him.
“Space is absurdly large,” he added, picking up a tiny speck of dust between his fingers and holding it up, examining it in the morning light, somewhat lost in thought. “If this was the sun ... Well, actually, even this is a bit too big. If our sun was a single blood cell, visible only under a microscope, then our galaxy, the Milky Way, would be the size of the Continental US.”
“And the nearest star?” Lily asked.
Jason looked out the window of the restaurant and across the street at Central Park. From their first floor booth, he could see over the tops of the trees. There were some kids throwing a frisbee in an open grassy patch by the lake.
“About there,” he replied, pointing at them. “Roughly two hundred yards away, perhaps a little more. And it too would be no more than a microscopic speck of dust.”
“What about Voyager?” Mitchell asked. “It's left the solar system and is headed toward the stars, right?”
“Well, yes and no,” Jason replied. “It all depends on how you define the solar system.”
Jason pulled a quarter out and put it on the table in front of him, with his finger resting in the middle of the coin.
“If the sun was the size of a blood cell, most of the planets, including Earth, would orbit inside this quarter. Voyager would be just marginally beyond our quarter. Voyager is beyond the most distant, recognized planet, and well beyond the heliopause, where solar winds buffet against interstellar space, but it's not really the edge of our solar system,
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