I put down the heavy box at my front door with an exhausted grunt, collapsing next to it so I could catch my breath.
‘Are you okay?’
I heard a kind voice over the sound of my panting and looked up through the dark spots in my vision. An old man was standing over me, holding a pair of gardening shears and looking very concerned.
‘I–I’m fine,’ I huffed, immediately regretting the waste of oxygen.
‘You don’t look fine,’ he frowned. ‘Let me get you a glass of water. Do you know these people?’ he pointed to the front door.
‘M–me,’ I panted, pointing at myself and climbing to my feet so I could unlock it. ‘I just moved in.’
‘Oh, how wonderful,’ he beamed. ‘We’re neighbours!’
I smiled back weakly and pushed the door open. I reached down to grab the last bag, but he beat me to it, gesturing for me to head inside first.
‘So why are you collapsing on your stoop?’ he asked me, puzzled.
‘My tyre blew out about three kilometres down the road,’ I said, already breathing better. ‘So I’ve been doing the last bit of the move by foot.’
‘Oh dear. Do you know where to get tyres near Cambridge?’
I shook my head and he pulled a pen from his pocket, glancing around for a piece of paper. He settled for a napkin and jotted down a number.
‘Try that place,’ he explained. ‘Ed will look after you.’
I nodded my thanks and tucked the napkin in my pocket.
‘Could you recommend a car mechanic in the Cambridge area too?’ I asked. His grin widened and he clicked out his pen. I smiled and handed him the napkin back.
‘Anything else I can help you with, neighbour?’ he asked. ‘Name it! Old Sam never did turn down a request from the people he lived next to!’
‘Well…’ I began. He nodded excitedly. ‘Could you help me push my car the rest of the way here?’
Old Sam’s smile began to droop slightly.