I’ll give you four minutes to decide which one you use first.”

The astronaut looked up at me from the table.

I closed the laptop and walked to the counter.

Marlene dug the pen out of a cup of straws and set it down like she was handing me a tool.

“Blue or black,” she said.

“That’s all the ink we’ve got.

The good ones walk off with the customers.”

“Blue’s fine.” I pulled a napkin from the dispenser and flattened it.