“White or off-white,” he said.

“White.

The same white it’s always been.”

“Same as always is what we sell the most of.” He wrote out the ticket in pencil.

“Cash or charge it to an account.”

“Cash.” I laid the bills on the counter, and he counted them twice, the way people from his generation do.

“There was a young fella in here Tuesday with your address written down in a notebook,” he said, without looking up.

“From the assessor’s office.