A man took a pair of shoes to a shoe repair shop and said to the shoemaker,
"I'd like you to repair these shoes for me, please."#
"Certainly, sir," the shoemaker said.#
"When will they be ready?" the man asked.#
"I'm a bit busy, but they'll probably be ready for you on Thursday," he said.#
"That's fine," the man said, and left the shop.#
The next morning, he received a letter, offering him a job in another country.
Within 24 hours he was on an airplane to his new job.#
Twenty years passed and he returned to his hometown.#
He remembered his shoes.#
"They were a good pair of shoes," he thought, "I wonder if the shoemaker is
still there and still has them. I'll go and see."#
He was pleased to see that the shoemaker was still in the same shop, although
he was an old man by now.#
"Good morning," he said to him, "Twenty years ago, I brought in a pair of
shoes to be repaired. Do you think you've still got them?"#
"Name?" the old shoemaker asked.#
"Smith," the man said.#
"I'll go and see. They may be out back."#
The shoemaker went out to the back of his shop and a few minutes later
returned, carrying the pair of shoes.#
"Here we are," he said, "one pair of brown shoes to be repaired. I am a bit
busy now but they'll probably be ready on Thursday."&