Over the weekend, I was up at the cottage. One afternoon, I was out looking to buy a pie for dessert. I went to a local establishment with both a restaurant and take-out window which I’d bought whole pies from in the past, but found out they don’t sell whole pies any more.

“How many pieces in a pie?”, I ask.

“Six.”

Six was one more piece than I needed, but let’s face it: how many pieces of pie is “too many”? Chances are any superfluous piece of pie would be consumed in short order.

“I’d like six piece of apple pie, please.”

“If I sell you six pieces, I won’t have any to sell in the restaurant,” she says.

“…”

“And, I’d have to sell them to you for $3.25/slice.”

This worked out to $19.50 for an apple pie.

“Nevermind,” I say.

I didn’t bother persuing the obvious line of questions about why it mattered whether I was buying the pie to eat it now or later. Nor did I ask what she would have done if six of us had shown up and each ordered a slice of apple pie.

And I didn’t get a slice of apple pie, either.