The good mugs, and who gets them

We keep 2 sets of mugs. There are the good ones, heavy stoneware that sits in your hand like it means it, and there are the rest, which are fine. The rest hold coffee and have no complaints. They are simply not the good ones, and everyone can tell.

The good mugs go to people who stay a while, people who ask after Number Nine by name, and people who carry a mug back to the counter instead of leaving it on the table for someone else to find. That is the whole policy. It is not written down anywhere except here, now, against my better judgment.

Of the 3, the last one matters most. You can skip the small talk. You cannot skip bringing the mug back. If you got a good mug, it was not an accident. If you did not, drink up and try again Tuesday.