GETTING CHANGE FROM JOHN UPDIKE

Today I was looking through the UT library catalog for Updike stuff, and headlining the bibliography was "Updike,John(1932-2009)", and it didn't really register at first -- but then I was like -- what? -- he's dead?
And he's been dead for SIX MONTHS??
I'm so out of the loop -- it's the result of not hanging out with that crowd anymore -- choosing instead to roll with degenerate gamblers and music people -- it's really no surprise, I guess -- I don't suppose many of my friends even know who John Updike is -- much less his work.
I saw him a few days before Christmas 1999. I was in the post office after-hours in Beverly Farms, Massachusetts -- trying to package and mail something complicated -- I forget what -- and I was wrapping and sealing and writing and stamping -- and he walked in -- and I waved a wrinkly dollar in the air.
"Do you happen to have change?"
He nodded his head toward the change machine -- directly in front of us -- it was about the only thing in the room other than a table and chained papermate. "Does it not work?"
"My dollar is too worn out."
"Ummm," he said.