Mel: Ever been to Philly before?
Franklin: My first trip.
Mel: You haven't missed much.
Franklin turned from a journal he'd been reading and looked out the window.
Mel: The name's Mel.
Franklin: Nice to meet you.
Mel: What do you do?
Franklin: I'm a quantum physicist.
Mel: Huh?
Franklin: I'm working on implications of the Pauli exclusion principle to string theory
Mel: What?
Franklin: It's really not that interesting. Actually, I'm pretty bored with it. How about you?
Mel: Me? I'm a drycleaner. I've three places.
Franklin: Do any of them turn clothes around in 24 hours?
Mel: Sure. In fact, one's in by 9 and out by 5 .
Franklin: No kidding? Dry cleaning out by 5? And you don't ruin buttons?
He pointed to his shirt, open at the sleeve because of a crushed button.
Mel: No.
Franklin: Now that's really interesting.
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David Sydney is a physician. He has had pieces in Little Old Lady Comedy, 101 Words, Microfiction Monday, 50 Give or Take, Friday Flash Fiction, Entropy Squared, Grey Sparrow Journal, Bright Flash Literary Review, Rue Scribe, and Pocket Fiction.