Pokey's day started out the way it always does. He fixes his cereal, pours the milk, and sits at the varnished table that belonged to his grandmother. She had this apartment before Pokey. When she died, Pokey was living with her at the time. Everytime he sits at the table, he remembers the day he tried to wake her before he went to work. The sun reflected off the floor, across her bed and onto the wall. She looked comfortable. Pokey wasn't sure what to do on that day. He went to work and called his mother to tell her that Nanie wouldn't wake-up. When he arrived home that night, his grandmother was gone and his mother sat at the table, having coffee and waiting for Pokey. This morning, the sun was missing from the south-facing window. The only sound was the scraping of the spoon on the bottom of the bowl.

As Pokey settles into the parking attentant's booth just inside the entrance to the parking garage, the first sounds of day filter in through the slight crack in the glass window. He hears the hissing of sleet, and the belching of the breaks from the butcher's supply truck as it lurches onto Katz Avenue. He looks up to see the puddles forming at the end of the deck .

Pokey reminds himself that if Mr. Gorlomi stumbles into the parking deck to get his keys, Pokey is to lock the door to the booth. Mr. Rocco told him, "Never give him his keys if he can't walk straight." Pokey gets upset when Mr. Gorlomi yells at him. Pokey just keeps the door to the attendant's booth locked and puts his headphones on. After a while, Mr. Gorlomi gets tired, or his bottle is empty, and he simply turns around and walks away shouting something over his shoulder. After those times, Pokey listens to Keith Jarrett on his cd player.

This morning Pokey hears Mr. Tayuka's cart before he sees him. Pokey walks to the parking entrance and smiles at him and his dog. He hands the dog a small biscuit. At one point, Pokey asked Mr. Tayuka what kind of dog it is, but Mr. Tayuka never answers Pokey. He looks off into the distance and continues to walk as if he sees the bus he needs to catch, or the vendor he needs to speak with. Except, as far as Pokey can tell, Mr. Tayuka rides no bus or speaks with anyone. As he turns to go back to his booth, he sees a startled young man running by. Pokey thinks this man is in pain, or maybe he's afraid of something.