To please God in all things
an excerpt

He smiled, and she noticed that there were a few strands of grey in his hair; they glinted in the candlelight. He looked so unusual, somehow. Not like anyone she’d ever seen in her life before.
William returned to the dining room with cheese, a few sausages and a knife. “Maybe coffee wouldn’t be a good idea at this time, but I think you’d like a hot drink, eh, lad? I’ll warm some milk for you. That’ll be better, perfect before going to bed.”
“Thank you for being so good to me,” the young man said.
“I’ll have a cup of hot milk too, then I’ll go home,” Charlotte said. She sat down across the table from the stranger and began cutting slices of cheese and meat for him.
“You’re very kind,” he said.
“You look like you could use a few good meals,” she said. “How long did it take you to get here?”
“A few days. It wasn’t difficult. I’m used to walking.”
“You look like you’ve been places, too. But your bag doesn’t look heavy.”
“I haven’t needed much, really.”
William came back into the room with three mugs of steaming hot milk upon a tray, which he set down upon the table.
“This is a beautiful table,” the young man said. He ran his hand over its smooth surface. “It feels like a lifetime.” It was also covered in stains, some of which seemed to have been the result of spilt wine.
“You’re a strange one,” William said, though he appeared to be pleased by the words that were leaving the young man’s mouth. “You’re right, though. That table has been in my family for generations. I’m alone now. It’s nice to have the table. Everyone is still with me.”
“Charlotte is alone too,” the young man said.
“I don’t mind much,” she said. She rose and went to the old cabinet underneath the window, and retrieved plates from it. “It’s not so bad. Everyone is a bit alone in this town, and together at the same time.”
“I’m not sure what they’ll make of you,” William said, sitting down at the head of the table after he had handed a cup of milk to the young man. “Don’t you mind them.”
“What do they make of you?” the young man asked.
William laughed. “It depends on the day, sometimes.”
“It’s like that everywhere,” the young man said.
Charlotte arranged slices of cheese and sausage on the young man’s plate. She then paused and added substantially more. “You’ll have to tell me about other places, I’d like to hear about them.”