There were two shops on our street. One run by two boys hardly got any customers. The other run by a middle-aged man had a large clientele. That man would keep his customers standing while he gossiped endlessly.
“How are your studies progressing? Why are you so bad in mathematics? When is your daughter getting married?” his questions never ended.
The boys in sharp contrast only cared about their work.
I left the area and settled far away.
Returning a decade later I was surprised, both the shops were still there.
The boys, young men now, had a roaring business, while the man hardly had any customers.
I visited both shops.
“You have gained some weight” was what I heard in one shop.
In the other, all I got was a smile and, ” How can we help you?”
The shopkeepers were the same, but the customer attitudes had evolved.