Episode 326: Touché

A woman with a parrot on her shoulder enters The Brew and orders a coffee. Mazolli fills the order and hands it to the woman. The parrot stares at Mazolli and dips its head several times. Anything for your friend? asks Mazolli, tilting his head slightly toward the parrot. He really doesn’t care for coffee, says the woman, although he has been known to indulge in a martini now and again. I soak his crackers in it. He takes it with an olive. The woman’s face betrays no trace of irony or humor. Mazolli smiles awkwardly. Okay, he says.