A better night’s sleep, and yet I was still up at 6am to potter about in the kitchen and prepare my beloved’s breakfast tray. She is back at work so I hardly knew how to occupy my time. Shopping in the empty aisles of Sainsbury’s I picked up some exotic spices, lemongrass, a bottle of English sparkling wine, orange flavoured gin, a playmate for our puppy, Suzy, and several croissants.
Before I had started to wander around at a leisurely pace I was approached by a young man who asked if I had a spare pound coin. I knew that I had just the one in my pocket, but I didn’t want to give him that because I needed it for the deposit on shopping trolleys. He looked disappointed when I lied about the spare pound. On reflection I offered to buy him the sandwich he was hoping to buy for a pound. We found the sandwiches near the fruit and veg aisles. Feeling generous now, I said “why not get yourself a drink as well?” A fellow early morning shopper informed us that with the sandwich and drink he could get a packet of crisps as part of a meal deal.
Having scanned and paid for the three items he commented “that’s your good deed of the day done”. Our earlier chat about Brixton and him having stayed in a hostel there reassured me that this had not been the sort of confidence trick you could encounter every day on London’s streets.
odespinner 