Walked by him on my way to the shoe repair shop. He was tucked into a wedge between two buildings, where there was a small ledge on which to sit. He was reading a book. It was the open book on his lap and his toes peeking through his socks that caught my attention first. The sunshine in which he was bathed was second. After finishing at the shoe shop, passed by again. Noticed all of the above once again, and how engrossed he appeared to be in what he was reading. A few yards further along, I turned around. I had missed such an opportunity on another occasion and was sorry. I approached him, and saw that his toeless stockinged feet were sitting a top a pair of shoes. “Excuse me, but would you like a cup of coffee to go with that book?” He looked up with the most beautiful clear eyes, and as he had a cotton in one ear, looked somewhat quizzically and said, “if you’re offering.” “I am,” I replied. “That new coffee shop there, shall we give it a try?” “Do you want me to come or…?” “Of course, please come,” and as we walked the few yards I asked him what he wanted. “Coffee with milk? Sugar?” “Yes, that would be fine, thank you,” he replied . We reached the door and I went in. Turned around and realized he was still on the curb. I returned to the open door threshold and said “Would you like to join me?” No, he said, I’l just wait here. Given that his clothes were totally street and compared to everyone inside he was ‘underdressed’, I understood his social hesitancy. Asked if he wanted any coffee cake or something else, but he said coffee was fine. I returned with the coffee, raw sugars, wooden stir stick, and handed them to him; we walked back to his wedge in the wall. “What’s your name?” I asked. “Charles” he said, without hesitating. “You are so well-spoken, Charles,” I said. “Life does some funny things to us sometimes and well…, you know…” “Yes,” I replied, “Most of life I don’t understand…” and I too trailed off. We had reached his perch and I walked on. He was not what he appeared, but I will never know. The book he was reading was a Readers Digest condensed version.