Like everywhere else, business was slow, and he whiled away his time standing in his doorway, watching the world go by. The young woman had caught his attention two days earlier. At first, he’d taken her for just another Japanese tourist trying to find her way to the old town – either she must have been one of the few independent travellers from that country, or else she’d got separated from her group. She certainly looked lost. It was when she passed by the shop for the third time, always dressed the same, gradually becoming more dishevelled, that Geoffrey, a kind man and a pillar of the local Rotarians, began to take more serious notice. There was a vulnerability about the young woman that tugged at his heartstrings. He was convinced that she was in need of help. Seeing her pause in the street just opposite his shop, looking wistful and sad as the people bustling by jostled her, Geoffrey’s heart melted. Crossing the road, he was soon level with her. He was naturally a shy man and once he was close to her he was unsure what to do.
