SAN FRANCISCO, Behind the counter of his shop, Dennis used a Sharpie to make his sign.
It said:
Atheists Still Standing.
Meet Here at Magic Dirt Food Shop.
July 16 7PM
No Cell Phones, Laptops, or Tablets!
Should he offer refreshments?
He considered it for a moment.
No. Then he might get those who weren't atheist but just hungry.
If the attendants wanted food, they could bring their own.
***
Dennis taped the sign near the door and wondered if anyone would see it.
He decided he should probably make more.
He took out some paper and created two more signs. For these, he added the address of Magic Dirt, since the people seeing the sign might not know where to find his store.
***
After closing Magic Dirt, Dennis headed towards the direction of his car with the signs and a roll of tape in his hand.
He would hang up one sign here and one back in San Rafael. Though it was probably too long of a drive for most people.
He looked around for a place to hang his sign. He couldn’t find one which made no sense. There had been so many times that Dennis had been annoyed by a plethora of signs. Now he couldn’t find any. Nor could he find a place that looked appropriate for a sign.
He was embarrassed to be searching. It made him feel desperate.
But he did continue to look; for about ten more minutes.
He considered putting his sign on a light post but didn’t feel right doing so. He didn’t even know if it was legal.
For a moment, he thought he'd just do it and hope not to get caught. But then he realized his store was named on the sign. There was nothing anonymous about it. The one sign in the shop would have to do.
***
When Dennis got home, he checked the mail.
There was a letter from Christina and Kayla.
He took it inside; used the bathroom; then opened the letter.
Kayla had done her own drawing of Mickey Mouse. It wasn’t bad, but she could get better if she learned some basic drawing skills. She had written a short letter. Her handwriting was messy, but he could read it.
Dear Grandpa,
I drew Mickey Mouse for you. I love the pictures you send me.
You are good at drawing. Lenora likes your pictures too.
Lenora must be a school friend, or perhaps a child in the neighborhood.
He read the letter from Christina. It was unusually short. Usually, she wrote much more.
Dad, Hi! I hope you're well. Things are a bit stressful here. I won't go into it. I'll just say I miss you and I love you! I wish you still had your phone, but I understand!
No, she didn’t understand. If she understood, she wouldn't put pressure on him.
It was fine, though.
He wondered why she was stressed. Was it work related? Something to do with Kayla? Maybe it was a school thing.
Academic?
Maybe something with Kayla's friends.
He hoped everything was fine with her shop. Maybe she needed money.
Dennis had some that he can spare. He didn’t mind lending it to her. Though, from what he recalled, she received a good bit of insurance money after Albert died.
Continue to Chapter Thirty-Eight
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