When things died down and the windows darkened, an elderly man with a cane came in, his spine a jittery question mark, and grabbed his steaming tray from the counter and just stood there wobbling a bit. He opened and closed his jaw as if warming it up, then raised his chin, and you could tell there was a Boy Scout somewhere inside him standing up straight. “I’d just like to say thank you for being open during the holidays. You folks, you’re saving a lot of people from heartache, you know. From eating alone around Thanksgiving. And…and—” He bit down, chin juddering, then shook his head, lifted
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