Sunday Mornings with the Bagel Guy

Every Sunday, I walk to the bagel shop on the corner with my two-year-old on my shoulders. The man behind the counter, Murray, has worked there for forty years.

Murray gives every child a free mini bagel and calls them by name. He calls my son "the mayor." When my son points at the everything bagels and yells "That one!" Murray says, "The mayor has spoken," and hands it over the counter with a bow.

There's always a line. Nobody's in a hurry. People chat about the weather and the Mets and whose kid is getting tall. A retired opera singer hums while she waits. A very old dog naps under the window.

My son now calls Sunday "bagel day." He wakes me up at six and yells, "Murray!" It's the best alarm clock I've ever had.