He came out of nowhere, meandering along the nearly deserted, tree-shaded sidewalk to gain my undivided attention. I had just closed up my shop, Peck’s Antiques & Collectibles, and had paused in the doorway to momentarily rejoice in the nimble evening breeze pouring from out of the western sky. My mind had started a debate about how to appease my grumbling stomach. Slide a frozen pizza into the oven, or toss a macaroni and cheese dinner into the microwave? At that point in what had already been a long day, thanks to more than a dozen boxes of dusty merchandise I had inventoried, cleaned, polished, and put on display before calling it quits, neither choice held much appeal. The weariness seemed to have already crept into my bones, the same as the grime of the workday felt like it had infilt
