I felt a chill run down my spine. This was George, the man who always took the time to chat about the weather or share stories about his grandchildren. It didn’t make sense. Why would he do this? I knew I needed to approach the situation with sensitivity and understanding, but I was also concerned about my business.

The next morning, I decided to confront George. As he shuffled in, I felt my heart pounding. I called him over after he had picked up his newspaper, and we sat down at the small table near the window. “George,” I began cautiously, “I need to talk to you about something.”

To my surprise, he didn’t seem shocked or defensive. Instead, his eyes softened, and he sighed heavily. “I knew it would come to this,” he murmured, staring at his hands.