A suit does not make a man

I could see it coming. My friend Victor (yes, another Victor, not me) and I were walking toward the entrance of the oldest governor’s house in the Americas, now converted into a luxury hotel. I was visiting from New York. We wanted a cigar. That was the entire plan. Victor was behind me in a suit. I was in jeans and a t-shirt. The doorman looked at me and made his decision instantly. “Can I hel...

For decades, I did a lot of work with Korean businesspeople. Their names read like a Hollywood cast of the time. Harrison Ford, Kevin Costner, Bruce Willis were the megastars. I met a handful of Harrys, Bruces, and Kevins. They chose those names to acclimate to American ears. At Ellis Island, it is said, officials changed immigrants’ last names to make assimilation easier. Nobody asked whose as...

Before he was a droid. Before the beeps, before the galaxy far away, before the fight over who got to be Luke. That was his name. Ours. New York, 1999. A seat near the back, alone. Episode One, in English this time. Someone on screen says two letters and a number. R2-D2. I said it back to myself, quiet. Ar-Tu-Ri-To. Twelve years, unopened. Then not. A stranger two rows down turned when I laughe...