at him, displaying a toothy grin that was missing a few prominent teeth. Daniel smiled back.

     The gentleman spoke up. “Buying flowers for your girl?” he asked in a raspy voice.

      “What these?” Daniel glanced down at the bouquet.  “Naw, these are for my grandma. I don’t have a girlfriend,” he said with an embarrassed look. Daniel didn’t care much for girls. Or flowers, either.

      “Your gramma like daisies?” asked the old man.

     Daniel shrugged. “I guess she does. My mom just told me to come in and pick out something pretty.”

     “Well, my wife loved daisies. Women love flowers, you know.”

     Daniel nodded. The line moved up a few feet as one customer was handed their receipt. Turning back to the old man, Daniel noticed that his cart was filled to the brim with canned cat food and microwave dinners.

     “You must have a lot of cats,” he said.

     “Yes sirr-ee, sure do. Ten or nine, I think.” The old man scratched his head in contemplation. “Ten, I think it’s ten.” He nodded in satisfaction. “You got any animals, boy?”

     “Yeah, four dogs. Jazz, Jake, Annie, and Bobby.”
     “Well, I’d say it’s a good thing we’re not neighbors, or we’d have ourselves a problem or two.”

     “Or ten problems,” Daniel said, laughing.

     “My cats, they wander around, but they keep me company. That’s all a man asks for, sometimes. Specially round the holidays as such.”

     Daniel cocked his head. “Don’t you have family coming to see you?”
     “No sirr-ee, sure don’t.” The man sounded sad.

     “Don’t you have any kids or grandkids you could go eat with for Thanksgiving?” Daniel asked with a frown.

     “Mebbe, but I don’t think I’d be much welcome at their house. My son’s a rich-type lawyer, you see.”

     Daniel couldn’t imagine the old man not being welcome. He was so friendly, and he was nice to animals. What wasn’t there to like? He didn’t know what being a lawyer had to do with anything. What was so good about lawyers anyway?
     “Well, my dad’s a carpenter, but we still visit my grandma. She’s in the hospital right now. That’s why I’m buying these flowers.”

     “Hospital, eh? Well, that’s mighty nice of you to be buying her flowers and such. She’ll like that.”

     Daniel felt sorry for this nice old man. He didn’t have any kids or grandkids coming to visit him. He was going to spend his Thanksgiving with his ten cats, probably eating his microwave pasta. What kind of grandkid wouldn’t want to spend time with this man?
     Then Daniel realized that he had been that kind of grandkid. Ashamed, he held the daisies up to his nose. “You really think my grandma will like these flowers?”

     “Sure do. My wife loved ‘em,” said the old man, his toothy grin returning. Suddenly it was Daniel’s turn in line. As the cashier handed him his receipt, he turned one last time to the old man.

     “Tell your grandma that she’s a lucky lady to have such a nice grandson as you bring her flowers.”

     Daniel didn’t know what to say, so he just smiled at the old man and nodded. “Happy Thanksgiving, Mister.” And Daniel hurried to the car. He hoped his mom would approve of the flowers he picked out.