I was standing at a counter in a shoe store where I had tried on a black shoe slightly too small for me. I now wanted to try on a shoe in the next larger size. A dark-haired slender fellow (probably in his early 20s) was standing behind the counter. When I asked him to bring me a larger-sized shoe, he refused to do so. When I questioned him further, he explained that the store had some kind of policy against selling someone another size of shoe once the person has tried on a shoe of a different size. This seemed to me like a completely insane policy, and I began protesting that I wanted a different sized shoe. I continued to protest and protest, until finally I got the attention of the man's boss. The boss walked over to me, and I explained the problem to him. The boss agreed with the fellow, but the boss could also see I was beginning to cause a problem. So the boss told the other fellow to bring me out the shoes which I wanted, and the fellow went back to retrieve the shoes.

***

When the man finally came back out, instead of bringing me shoes, he brought me out a rose, then went back and brought me out another rose. Both roses were rather scraggly and not very pretty. But I decided to take the roses anyway, and I put them in a small vase which had some other flowers which would go around the roses.

***

I was sitting in a chair in a large room beginning to fill up with people. I began to realize I was at the funeral of my step-grandfather Clarence. I could see him sitting in front of the room with his back to me. Although he was dead, he had apparently been placed there in a sitting position.

I realized the flowers I had bought were for the funeral, and I was glad I had bought some flowers and sent them to the funeral.

As more and more people began coming in, I noticed a man who closed one of his hands into a fist and pounded it sideways onto his chest, in a gesture to me. I thought it was a gesture of sympathy for me.

I didn't recognize most of the people here. I also felt as if I had come too early. Nevertheless, I was glad I had come to Clarence's funeral. However I thought I would also be glad when it was all over.