Very quiet for the first hour, then three people arrived together. One needed air, one had a loose chain, and one only wanted to talk to my uncle. I fixed the chain first because I knew exactly what to do.

Because I needed to prove it to myself before I could smile at the man waiting for my uncle. Air would have looked like I was avoiding the real repair. Once the chain was running smoothly, the rest of the morning felt normal.

I open the shutters faster and I no longer rehearse every price in my head. The best change is that regular customers have stopped asking when the owner will be back. They just put the bicycle in front of me and explain the sound.