It was the largest furniture store in town.
The drifter wandered in soon after opening time. He was in his twenties and as thin as a rake. Life on the streets had not been kind to him, physically. His hair and beard were long, but he’d managed to keep himself clean enough that people didn’t exactly avoid him. The night had been cold and a welcoming blast of warm air swept over him as he entered. He strolled passed the settees and armchairs until he came to one that had lots of padding and looked extremely comfortable. Glancing around, he saw how quiet it was. He saw no harm in trying it.
The girl who welcomed customers when they sauntered into the lounge suite part of the store, was also in her twenties. She had turned out to be one of the store’s best sales people and did rather well on its sales commission’s scheme. It was around an hour after opening when she found him, hidden away in the far corner. He was snoring softly. She reckoned him to be about the same age as her brother, not that she’d seen him for ten years. He, like the sleeper, had taken to the streets and the family hadn’t heard from him since the day he left home.
She looked at him closely. It wasn’t him. For one thing, he was much too tall. Nevertheless, she would regard him as just another customer who had inadvertently fallen asleep while trying out the luxurious chair. She looked around and considered the possibility that her manager may not see it that way. From the adjoining section, she wheeled an exotic looking, panelled privacy screen, to where he dozed. She would leave him undisturbed until her morning break.
As the morning went on, the showroom had more customers walking through. She kept an eye on the far corner until staff began to accumulate around the coffee machine. She made two. Leaving her own, she took his and woke him.
Very little was said.
However, on waking, he showed that he appreciated the kindness she’d shown and politely made his way out onto the street with his hot drink, reflecting that he had not slept that well in a very long time…