You read a lot," said the behatted kvetch indicating the two novels he had open. He nodded, because there was no denying it and because he didn't want to put up the ante for a conversation.

Books aren't life."

No, they're better," he replied and flipped through the thirty-two library cards in his wallet to remove his one credit card to pay.

This was twenty-first century vagrancy.

Author: Tibor Fischer