That same afternoon, Mr. Lourenço heard people outside whispering about a certain “Mr. Vinegary” who was a great terror in the area because he was always grumpy and angry.

He asked himself: “Who could these people be talking about?” But he quickly returned to his work, tidying up the shelves and closing the cash register for the day.

When he returned home, after dinner and reading a book, he wondered again: “After all, who could this Mr. Vinegary be?”