Uplifting tale....

Many business people and shoppers in the centre of Tonbridge will remember the sight of a bare footed man with long hair and a long grey beard, wearing very little but a duvet. He was out in all weather thus attired; I believe that many, especially cruel-tongued school kids refered to him as Duvet Dave. He happened upon my shop in Bank Street back then, a couple of years ago, when he was obviously in a desparate state. He asked me if I had a copy of the Holy Bible and also of Pilgrims Progress; both books I had and gave them to him saying give the ten pounds when you can. I'll be honest and say that I didn't ever expect to see that tenner and I have thought very little of the occasion ever since. Until that is today when a man in a newish-looking weather proof anorak-style jacket, wearing smart trainers walked into my shop and said, words to the effect, that once I had been very kind to him and given him some books and that he would like to repay that generosity. It turns out that Duvet Dave is in fact called Stuart and now he just looks like a slightly hippy man in his early fifties. He still has the beard and longish hair and I did just about recognise his face. He not only paid me the ten quid, which I'd written off, but also bought two more books for around another twenty pounds. We had a fairly lengthy conversation about the stae of the world, religion and all sorts of other subjects; Stuart, it seems, is a fairly well spoken and intelligent man who just lost his way a little. It almost restores your faith in the human race doesn't it!...