On Oct. 4. 2021, James and his friend Raphael were squeezing in a lunchtime workout on Pier (码头) 15 overlooking the East River, when James froze. “Somebody’s in the water,” he shouted. Before Raphael could respond. James climbed over the rail at the edge of the pier and leaped into the cold, polluted water without taking the time to remove his shoes.

What James had heard was an alarmed fisherman shouting from Pier 16. nearly 50 yards away, “Help! He’s in the water!” And what he’d seen was a person floating, lifeless.

Raphael didn’t need to see the victim. “Maybe the fisherman saw someone in the water who needs our help.” he thought. “Or maybe it’s the fisherman who needs my help. Either way, I’m going in.” He yanked off his shoes and swan-dived.

Approaching the unconscious victim, James saw that it was a middle-aged man. He was big, around 200 pounds, respectably dressed and sinking fast. He was 3 feet below the surface by the time James reached him. James dove, felt around, grasped the man and kicked upward until they both resurfaced. Raphael was there now. Treading(踩，踏) water, the two friends floated the man on his back. As Raphael looped his arms around the man’s shoulders and James supported the hips and knees, they made their way back to Pier 15, exhausted.

They might have been hauling a corpse (尸体). The man’s skin was blue, and neither Raphael nor James detected any breathing. When at last they reached Pier 15, they faced a new uncertainty.

How to get out? The pier’s decking stood an unreachable 10 feet above their heads. A metal beam was covered by sharp barnacles. If Raphael, shoeless, attempted to climb onto it, he’d hurt his bare feet.

Suddenly the man breathed again, stirred and clobbered (狠揍) confusedly Raphael in the face before fading back to near unconsciousness.

“Did we do something wrong?” Raphael asked himself.

At the moment, on the pier, the crowd had gathered from somewhere.

I am Russian, but for the last five years, I’ve lived in Kansas. What brought me to this country was my American husband, John. I work in a department store, where my coworkers pronounce my Russian name so sweetly. Every time I hear it, I feel as though my mom is embracing me.

In my native country, people believe that Americans always keep big smiles on their faces even if they don’t have a real reason to do so. The American smile, the Russians have decided, is not genuine.

Last year, John encouraged me to go see my mom back in Russia. My manager even gave me a month off for the trip. (When you live an ocean apart from your family, you need at least a month to visit them.) I bought a plane ticket and packed my suitcase. Then came COVID- 19. My mood became gray as I realized I couldn’t go to see my mom.

A couple of weeks later, my sweet coworker Miss Donna, asked me. “So what’s happening with your trip to Russia?” I told her that I had to cancel it and that I wouldn’t be able to see my mom this year.

Miss Donna didn’t say anything at first. Then she put on a big American smile and said, “Well, you can come over and see my mom!”

Oh, my Lord! (That’s what my husband always says when he’s at a loss for words.) Imagine, a mom for loan! I honestly don’t know whether I would offer the same to someone in need of a mother’s warmth, but my new people sure would do it for me. I know that because of the virus you shouldn’t hug friends, but you can still embrace someone’s heart. That’s how my heart felt at that moment: hugged. So, yes, believe me, the American smile is genuine.

It didn’t take long before Miss Donna invited me to call on her mom.

When the dinner was ready, I was surprised to find there were several Russian dishes.

A few years ago, I was working in a grocery store(食品杂货店). As there were too many customers during the Christmas holidays, I was not used to the management nor the customers there. As I was checking groceries that morning, an elderly man in a wheelchair came through my check stand with a basket filled with candies, soft drinks and other small things. As I finished ringing up his goods, I told the man how much he should pay. He presented an out-of-state cheque(支票) from his son. He explained to me that his son had sent him the cheque for his Christmas present and he wanted to use it to buy gifts for the friends and wonderful workers at the nursing home where he lived, which was a few blocks behind the store. When he talked about them, he appeared very happy.

Since this was not my “home” store, I needed to check the cheque before accepting it. When the manager came over, she looked annoyed and told the gentleman that it was out of the question, in a very impolite manner. She told the gentleman he would just have to go to a bank to cash the cheque. The elderly gentleman started to softly cry as he looked up at me. He was sorry for being unable to pay his bill. He had no choice but to leave with nothing to take.

Seeing his lonely figure(人影), I felt my heart stopped. I could only think this man could be my grandfather. I was sure he must have been a wonderful functioning member of our society before he went to the nursing home because of illness and old age. I was influenced by his kindness and gentleness on his face, and couldn’t believe the impolite way the young manager had refused the gentleman’s request. I felt sad while trying to check out for the next few customers.

That night when I got home, I still cared about that gentleman and I thought I could do something for him.

As I gently touched the man’s hand, he woke and looked at me in surprise.