I feel like such a total loser for even typing this out, but here goes. Like, I’m 16, almost 17, and everything feels like it’s supposed to be about, idk, college apps and prom and getting my driver’s license. But all I can think about is this old dude from down the street. Mr. Henderson. He used to own this little hardware store, ‘Henderson’s Fix-It,’ right? My grandma used to drag me there all the time for like, special screws or whatever. And he was always there, behind the counter. Always. He just sold the store. Like, completely. And now it’s gonna be one of those fancy smoothie places that costs like nine dollars for a cup of blended fruit. Ugh. Anyway, I saw Mr. Henderson at the grocery store last week. He looked…different. Like, shrunken, almost. And he was just staring at the produce aisle like he didn’t know what to do with himself. And then he saw me. He actually recognized me, which was kinda cool, I guess. He started talking, and it was just…sad. He was like, “Oh, you know, I miss the chatter, the people coming in for advice, the kids always asking for gum.” And then he kinda trailed off and looked down at his shoes. And I just stood there, holding a carton of oat milk, feeling super awkward. Like, what do you even say to that? “Yeah, it sucks your life is over, dude?” Obvs not. But here’s the REALLY embarrassing part. The part that makes me feel like such a freak. After I left the store, like, all I could think about was him. And his stupid hardware store. And how he missed it. And then I started thinking about MY life. And how I’m going to have to get a job, a REAL job, eventually. And I felt this weird, like, knot in my stomach. What if I get a job and I like it, but then I lose it? Or I have to quit? And I end up like Mr. Henderson, just wandering around the grocery store, missing the 'chatter'? Is that insane? Does everyone feel this? I know it’s dumb. It’s probably just, like, me being dramatic because everything feels so HUGE right now. But I actually lost sleep over it. Thinking about Mr. Henderson and his little shop and how it’s gone. And how one day, everything I know now will be gone too. It’s like…it’s too much to think about. I just want to go back to thinking about whether I should dye my hair pink or blue, you know? Not old men who miss selling nails. God, I’m such a weirdo.