The diner was a clean, well lighted place, open around-the-clock.

I was working the counter the night Edward Hopper stopped in.

He asked me why I wasn’t wearing a paper hat.

I shrugged and said, “The cook wears a hairnet.”

“Well, I’m giving you a hat,” he said, sketching feverishly.

Bob Thurber is the author of “Paperboy: A Dysfunctional Novel” and two collections of stories. A celebrated master of Flash and Micro Fiction,” his work has appeared in 60 anthologies, received dozens of awards, and been used in schools and colleges throughout the world. He resides in Massachusetts where, despite severe vision loss, he continues to write every day. Visit his website at BobThurber.net.