"i hear you had a birthday, i hear you're getting old," said the man with salt-and-pepper hair.

"aren't we all?" asked the middle-aged restaurant owner, wiping counters and circling tables. he paused, then added, "i'm sorry. i wasn't implying that you were."

"i'm not getting old," the other man answered. "i've been old for a while now."

--Red Devil Pizzeria