I'm home now. I have many stories for you. Here is a taste.

I met Edna and David while I was in Albany. Edna and David are very, very old. They were in line in front of me to get coffee.

Edna turned and adressed me directly. "You know that CVS Drugstore across the street?"

"No," I said. "I've never been here before. I'm just visiting. I just wanted coffee."

"Well, they've taken the pharmasist out of it. We went to get some medicine and there was a gate down in front of the counter. A gate!"

David nodded solemly. "There was a gate," he added.

Edna continued. "So, I went up to the front counter and I asked. I asked them why there was a gate. We just wanted to get our medicine. And do you know what she said?"

"Do you know?" David repeated.

"No. I don't know what she said." I braced myself.

"She said, they're not going to have pharmacy or photo at that location any more. She said they moved it up to the new store about two miles up on Wolf Street. You know that new one?"

"No. I've never been here before. I'm a visitor."

Edna didn't quite understand me. I think that is because she can't imagine anyone visiting Albany voluntarily. I can't imagine it either. It's not a vacation kind of place.

She went on. "Yes. That's the one."

I tried to conceal my confusion. David nodded solemly.

"I'm just furious about this. Furious. We don't go up there. Not on Wolf Street we don't. We don't go up there at all." Her hands were clenched and her knuckles were white. "We're old, you know. We're old and we don't go up there. It's hard enough to go to the one across the street. Now they want us to go up on Wolf Street."

David and Edna had reached the counter. Edna ordered black coffee and David asked for tea with honey. The young woman behind the counter told them they were out of honey, but they had other sweetening options and they had chi, which is, when it comes right down to it, tea with honey.

David turned around to face me. This was one step too far, the final indignity. "Why is this always happening to us?" he asked.

I shrugged. I didn't know what else to say.

Posted at 11:52 a.m.

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