Serendipity in Atlanta

I had to make my last hours in Georgia count. I pulled over and typed Thai restaurant into my GPS. The location that appeared was in a strip mall. So I tried again. I typed VEGETARIAN RESTAURANT. Several options came up and I tapped on the most unique sounding one Soul vegetarian. I arrived at a place that felt very similar to my old neighborhood in East Oakland. I parked in an empty parking lot right in the middle of the Soul Vegetarian restaurant, a restored apartment building and, of course a CVS and directly across from the Goodwill. I got out of my car, walked to the restaurant, where someone met me at the door and pointed down at the sign. “We are closed,” he mouthed. So sad. A tall man in a maroon and yellow suit and a matching hat walked across the street to talk to me. I asked him for another recommendation. He offered to walk me to another amazing vegan restaurant called Healthful Essence. I know what some of you are thinking. “Why would you let a strange man walk you anywhere?” It’s simple. The answer is always in your stomach. You simply follow your instincts. The man’s name was Yoseka. He was a Hebrew Israelite, not to be mistaken with a man of any particular religion, because he saw religion as something that divided people. He learned from a failed relationship to be more patient and less aggressive.