"No one ever said to their benefactors—with complete ingenuity—that their help was more than they deserved, that they couldn't possibly accept it. Funny, unnecessary pleasantries; they exist not for the benefit of another but of oneself."
"I wouldn't want to impose," the assistant director said.
The old man before her shook his head. "It's no trouble. It will keep me busy with something. God knows I'm too old for everything else."
He instructed two others—a man with a majestic goatee and red-tinted sunglasses and a tall, quiet fellow—on how to delicately place the body on a makeshift gurney.
These three were the only few who were entirely undisturbed by the task. For the rest, the situation was uncertain and upsetting.
"The shock hadn't entirely subsided. It needed an outlet—a funny thing. Commonly, for a lot—women mostly—that outlet was a long conversation."
The assistant director gathered their attention.
