Mr. Black & Mr. Brown

Mr. Black lived in an orange house with gray and blue shingles. Mr. Brown did not.

Mr. Brown always wore a top hat and cane that made him look very distinguished looking. Mr. Black did not.

Mr. Brown loved key lime pie and had a miniature railroad, including a town with a post office running through his living room. So did Mr. Black.

In a lot of ways, Mr. Black and Mr. Brown were very different. But in some ways, they were very, very similar.

But they never knew it.

Mr. Brown sold pictures of the moon. Every morning, after a long night of photographing the moon, he passed Mr. Black on his way out the door. Mr. Black never said hello, so neither did Mr. Brown. "I wonder why he never says hi," Mr. Brown often said to Mrs. Brown. "Maybe he doesn't like moon photographers."

Mr. Black carved and sold wooden fruit. Every evening, after a long day of making wooden peaches and pears, he passed Mr. Brown on his way out the door. Mr. Brown never said hello, and so neither did Mr. Black. "I wonder he never says hi," he told Mrs. Black "Maybe he doesn't like wooden fruit carvers."

One day Mrs. Brown ran out of limes for Mr. Brown's key lime pie. She asked her husband to go next door and borrow a few. If it had been peach pie or apple pie or even cranberry strudel, Mr. Brown might have given up. But he did so love key lime pie.

So off he went. He timidly knocked on Mr. Black's door. As soon as Mr. Black let him in, Mr. Brown began, "I was wondering if I could borrow-"

He stopped and stared at the miniature railroad, including a town with a post office running through Mr. Black's living room. For the next hour, the two men talked of cabooses and conductors and everything else relating to toy trains.

Eventually, Mr. Brown remembered why he had come. "I was wondering if I could borrow some limes," he said. "I need them for key lime pie. It's my favorite desert."

Mr. Black grinned, "Why it's mine too.!" he said with a smile.

"That settles it," said Mr. Brown. "You and your wife absolutely must come over and have a piece. How about later tonight?"

They agreed. And when they came over that evening, all four of them had a grand time sharing stories and enjoying Mrs. Brown's wonderful key lime pie.

"I've been so silly," confessed Mr. Brown. "I thought you didn't like me because you never said hello."

"And I thought you didn't like me because you never said hello," said Mr. Black.

They both agreed that from now on, they would make a point of saying hello to each other every morning and night.

"Am I glad you ran out of limes," Mr. Brown said to Mrs. Brown as the evening was winding down. Mrs. Brown secretly winked at Mrs. Black.

And now every morning and evening, Mr. Brown says, "Hello, Mr. Black!" and Mr. Black replies right back, "Hello, Mr. Brown." They've even gone into business together. They've opened up Brown and Black's Wooden Fruit and Moon Pictures Stores. Sometimes, they even sell some of Mrs. Brown's famous key lime pie.

And you can bet that every customer who walks through that door is always greeted with a loud, "Hello."