A week later, I ran into Nolan again, this time at the grocery store. He didn’t see me at first, focused as he was on the meat section. I thought about not saying anything to him, but my curiosity about how he spent his days won out.
“Evening, Nolan,” I said as I parked my cart next to his.
He looked up, surprised. “Mr. Doukas. I didn’t…What are you doing here?”
My reply was gruff. “I need food, like every other human on the planet.” Inwardly, it pleased me to see him a little flustered, but it didn’t last long.
Once again calm and cool, Nolan replied, “Okay, well, I’ll leave you to it.” He chose a packet of chicken breasts and then continued down the aisle. My eyes took in his dusty clothes and I realized he must have come straight here from a job site.
“Hey, wait.” I found myself ru
