Kitty
Marty did not mean to laugh when Joel asked her if she had coffee.
“We have coffee.” She pointed to the shelf where there was a cat asleep next to a red can of Folger’s coffee.
Kitty was doing what any good natured tabby cat would do; sleep. Marty’s store was no Safeway. It was not even a 7-11 by any stretch. She would make monthly trips to her local Sam’s Club near Gunnison. She was sure to stock Ice cream for the reach in freezer, (this was consumed mostly by Grandpa Henry and Jessie.) Various chips, canned food, bottled water. The people who came to her store were frequently lost. The road up the hill dead ended onto Joel’s property. They would ask for gasoline (which she did not sell) or water or softdrinks, and sometimes Henry’s stash of ice cream bars.
It did not dawn on Joel that his quest for coffee seemed strange to the store owner. That’s why she asked him if he was lost.
When Joel reached for the can of coffee, Kitty did not flinch or skip a beat of his well deserved nap.