• A man in a black suit and a gray tie sits at the counter of a diner
    Rubs his fingers against the condensation of his coke
    Glances to the left at a table
    There is room for four but only one man sits there
    The man at the table is wearing a black suit and a black tie

    The man at the counter recognizes the man at the table as an author
    His works were in German so the man at the counter hadn’t read any of them
    But the man had read many reviews
    The reviews ranged from fanatical to abhorring

    The man at the counter wanted to walk up to him but stays in his stool
    Finally the check comes for the man at the counter
    The man at the counter notices this and calls out to the man at the table
    “Are you The Author?”
    The man at the table looks back and smiles
    But does not say anything

    The man at the counter repeats his question
    The man at the table repeats his response

    The man at the counter gets frustrated and asks
    “Are you or are you not The Author?”
    The man at the table doesn’t change his response

    The man at the counter looks at his watch
    And leaves the diner