Arthur Haliday passed his final route sheet to a local archive. The electric float was scrapped for parts in November 2021. As of 2025, the dairy depot on Mill Street is a vegan coffee shop. The barista—who has a tattoo of a milk bottle on his forearm—has no idea why the floor is sloped toward a drain in the middle of the room.
(He pulls a crinkled, faded route sheet from his wallet. It is worn to tissue paper.) Interview With A Milkman -1996- -2021-
(Laughs, shakes his head) Cold. Always cold. But a good cold. In ’96, we had that big freeze in February. I remember the milk was freezing in the bottles on the step before people woke up. The cream would push the silver foil cap up like a little white hat. Arthur Haliday passed his final route sheet to
— End of Interview —
What did you do with the float?
Do you know what I kept? One bottle. One glass pint bottle from the last run. It’s on my mantle. Sometimes, in the middle of the night when I can’t sleep—because after 25 years your body still wakes up at 3:00 AM—I go and tap it with my wedding ring. Just to hear the chime. The barista—who has a tattoo of a milk