The Wrong Bookshop

Lucas ordered a coffee and sat in the empty corner of the café. He took out his book and tried to read. But the man at the next table was watching him.

"That's a very old edition," the man said. Lucas looked up. The man was wearing a heavy jacket, even though the café was warm. "I used to sell books like that one. Around the corner. The shop is gone now."

"Gone?" Lucas asked. He felt awkward, but he didn't know how to leave the conversation. "What kind of shop?"

The man laughed quietly. "Old books. Forty years. Then the building was sold to a bank. The bank closed too, three years ago. Now it's a clothing store." He looked out the window. "Every time I pass by, I forget for one second. I almost go inside."

Lucas closed his book and listened. The man did not ask for anything. He just wanted to tell someone about a place that used to be there.