What is new with you?

Vignette No 9:

What is new with you?

She is old, tall and thin. She has one of those hairdos that require hot curlers and a bottle or hairspray. A pair of black cat like prescription glasses keep dangling from her neck, even as she struggles to read the catalog of scale model trains from Lionel.

She finally puts the catalog down and tells the man across the counter that the red Pullman train car will have to be special ordered. The person frowns in disappointment, but says: “fine, go ahead and put the order” and after a pause adds: “What is new with you?”

She puts her cat like glasses, looks up at him and answers in a steady matter of fact tone of voice:

“I visited my doctor last week. The results came in and it is cancer. If I get treatment, he says that I have about a year to live. If I do not get treatment, about three months. I think I won't take any treatment.”

After a long silence, she adds: “And...what is new with you?”
The man across the counter looks stunned but answers: “I am so sorry to hear that...”.

She takes the glasses off her face, and lets them dangle off her neck again. She grabs the catalog and tells the man:

“Are you sure you want that car in red? It also comes in dark green with gold letters.”