A couple of days ago I received this e-mail: “X here. We met back in November in Prague at the book signing event in Cafe Kare. You gave me your e-mail address.

I happen to be in New York for 6 months and I wonder if there'll be some event (reading, discussion, etc.) in the nearest future. I'd like to join. Anyhow, we could get together and grab a coffee at some point.”

I couldn’t remember X, but that didn’t matter. I give my e-mail address to as many strangers as possible, thinking of Isaac Bashevis Singer who claimed that it helped him enormously that he was listed in the white pages of Manhattan.

Tonight I met X. She didn’t want to join for me for dinner, she didn’t like eating that late, but she was willing to have a dessert with me.

She told me that she was staying with a 96-year-old who was in good shape and full of life. Now this is something I would call hopeful.

At the end of the evening she gave me a handshake that almost crushed my hand.