Two guys are sitting on the twin black pleather chairs in the coffee shop. One has his feet kicked up on one of the metal chairs with a yellow seat cushion. The other guy also has a chair pulled over in front of him, which he uses to collect the slivers of fingernail he apparently forgot to clip off this morning.

Newspaper Guy occasionally grunts and lets out a monosyllabic laugh in a cynical, “figures” sort of way. Nail Clipper Guy, without looking up from his task at hand, then says what, but he says it without the voice inflection at the end like you’d expect in a question, instead uttering the one-word sentence as if it ends with a period. Newspaper Guy then summarizes/editorializes the latest article he has just read, about hassles with city government or the fellow who got arrested for dog fights or the disabled, elderly woman who died in her home after the power company shut her electricity off.

“Tell you what I’d do if that lady was my mom,” asserts Nail Clipper Guy as he slides the clippings into his left hand, “I’d sue that company for every penny they’re worth.”

“You’d have to find a lawyer,” mumbles Newspaper Guy without averting his eyes from the paper.

“I’d have no trouble there, believe me. Lawyers would do it for free. They’d line up. That’s what they did with my injury. They knew they’d win, big time. And they did.”

Nail Clipper Guy gets up with the clippings collected in his palm and makes his way to the trash can where he drops them in and wipes off his hand, then returns to his seat.

Newspaper Guy folds the paper in half and tucks it under his arm. “Someone just went in the bathroom. I’m watching the door and as soon as it opens I’m going in. Then I think I’m gonna go home and go right to sleep… after I take a shower.”

“Aren’t you going to play with your cat at all? Do you sleep with your cat?”

“Nah, man, I throw her out when I go to bed. I’m allergic.”

“Why do you have a cat in the first place, then, if you’re allergic?”

“Well, I’m attached.”

“When did you first get allergic?”

“Oh, I was allergic since day one.”

“So what happens when you spend time with her?”

“My eyes get puffy and itch like crazy. And I can’t stop sneezing. It’s bad.”

“Wow… well, I guess I’d have a hard time getting rid of her too. I know what it’s like to be attached. My cat is my best friend in the whole world. Damn, only real friend I got.”

“Yeah, I’ll tell you this. I wake up in the morning and the first thing I see is my cat. She’s always there…

[pause]

…but I’m allergic.”