Everyone was in good spirits

One Sunday, I decided to go to the Butsudan store on Bowne Street in Queens. Remembering that I had promised the saleslady Isabelle, a copy of the Kyotsu Hori translation of the Kaimoku Sho, I scurried to copy it believing I would have to "break in" to my reception office as I lost the key. But just as I was about to manipulate the sliding glass windows and scale the counter I noticed that the door to the reception office was open. I copied the Kaimoku Sho. We drove to Queens. Low and behold there was no longer a Butsudan store on Bowne Street. We circled the block. the Nichiren Shoshu temple looking more run down than the last time I was there. I felt a bit dejected that I couldn't get good candles and wasn't able to give Isabelle  the copy of the Kaimoku Sho but I figured a good meal  would make us feel better and we headed for the restaurant. On the way to the restaurant, we narrowly escaped being killed by a firetruck that was wailing from the left as we drove across a major intersection. I heard the siren as we entered the intersection, I looked right, checked my rear view mirror and continued to proceed as the firetruck ran the light from the left and missed us by several feet. Not knowing Queens well, we made a right at the next street and then a left onto another and while still lamenting about the Butsudan store, my wife said in amazement, "there is a Butsudan store". I figured at first, this must be another butsudan store, maybe an SGI one or some other non-Nichiren sect's but what the heck, we will get the candles and check out the Butsudans and maybe do some shakubuku. Isabelle was there, I gave her the Kaimoku Sho, and she was pleased. What a saleslady. She is always trying to sell somebody an upgrade to whatever they want by stating, "that is for beginner, what you want is this.....",  "this" costing about ten times more than "that". Anyway, we love Isabelle and her cute little store. It had a beautiful ironwood Butsudan for $7800.00 and I thought of Craig, that for $7800.00 he would build you a damn  house:-). Isabelle had just returned from Tozan but still seemed uncertain about everything except the fake SGI mandala as she proudly handed me an embossed placard with the Nichikan Gohonzon prominently  displayed and the words "Fake Mandala" scrawled along the top on front and an explanation on the back. I told her, I didn't need the placard to tell me that the SGI Gohonzon was fake and she broke into a huge grin [not realizing I was thinking that the parent of all fake gohonzons is the DaiGohonzon]. I refrained from speaking out however because I wanted her to read the Kyotsu Hori translation with at least half an open mind. She asked me for my phone number and address and I gave it to her. We said goodbye, everyone was in good spirits.