Nancy Ruhling's Astoria Characters

Every time Tomas Hinojal lights a cigar, he thinks of his father. He’s puffing on a Davidoff, savoring the smoke as it covers his face like a ski mask. Tomas gets ready to light a Davidoff. Sometimes it’s better to view things through a smokescreen, at least that’s what Tomas has taught himself to believe. Tomas and his father never shared a cigar, much less a life together. It wasn’t just that God parted them when Tomas was only 17. No, Tomas had been abandoned since long…

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The snow-white truck is shiny new so Jonathan Forgash has to show it off. The star of his three-vehicle catering fleet, it has a double set of windows, industrial ovens, a slew of work stations and a built-in grill. He runs his hand along the kitchen’s stainless steel counter and smiles at his reflection. Never in his wildest dreams did he think he would get to take this dream machine along for the ride of his life, serving celebrities and crews on TV and film sets. Jonathan, the owner of…

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It is while peering through the smoke that Ibrahim Amer sees things clearly. His cigar, resting in an ashtray like a sunbather in a lounge chair, is smoldering when he picks it up for a puff. Ebi is the owner of Havana Puff. Ibrahim, who is known as Ebi, is the owner of Havana Puff, Astoria’s only cigar lounge. He started smoking on the sly when he was 10, but that was cigarettes. He’s from Alexandria, Egypt, and at that time, the tobacco’s flame was such hot stuff that it made…

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When Nick Pavlou shakes hands, he offers his right one. But he can’t let it let go of his cane, so the most he can manage is a feeble three-finger touch. For nearly two decades, his left arm has hung, useless, at his side. If you don’t recognize his face — there’s a wicked scar that runs from his left eyebrow and over his forehead to the back of his head — you may recall his name. Nick is the guy who made headlines as the Hard-Hat Hero in October 1996 when he risked…

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The door opens and Roscoe, a kitten who looks like a black and white cookie, sticks his head out and watches Tiffany Schleigh pad down the hallway. Roscoe’s a rescue. Curiosity overcomes caution, and he springs after her only to be scooped up into her arms, which is where he wanted to be all along. It’s not surprising that Roscoe is a rescue; Tiffany, whose new-penny copper curls coil down her back, spends her free time helping others. She produces big-time events featuring child actors…

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