"I help people get to know themselves."
☆

Ben now looks at the man in wonder. Would he even understand what was going to be explained to him? Well...here goes. 

"You see that woman, the one by the bench across the street." The man points just a finger in the direction of a lady, wearing a long dark green coat, a big tote bag on her shoulder. 

Ben follows the eyeline and sees who he is referring to. She seemed to stand still amongst the hustle and bustle of the street outside. "I see her...but you said it was about things I couldn't see." Ben replies, now completely confused.

"Well, what if I were to tell you that she is lost. Possibly afraid, maybe an introvert, but determined." The man says as he looks at the woman who seemed to Ben to be just standing there, not doing very much.

"Seriously? You get all that?" Ben says with surprise. 

"She has been looking at that street map on the board now, a number of times.  She is trying to work out where she is and where she needs to go, but she can't fathom it. Look…" The man now points along the busy street. "There are plenty of people she could ask, but she doesn't. She chooses to persist." 

"Aahhh." Ben nodded slowly. He then looks at the man. "Isn't that a bit, y'know ...stalkery, like watching someone who doesn't know you're watching them?" 

"That's not my intent." The man says. "I'm not interested in her personally, I'm just getting in tune with the emotions of others. It's just that she happens to be the one on the other side of the glass right now… anyways we all do it...Watch people. It's human nature." 

The man looks at Ben. "You can't tell me you don't watch people from behind that counter of yours. Places like this, social spaces are perfect for watching people in the wild, their natural habitat."

Ben just laughs nervously. Yes he did watch people. The man in front of him for one. He was now wondering if he was actually a stalker. 

"Anyways to answer your question. This is what I do." He begins to pull his wallet from the pocket of his linen trousers. "Here." He says, pulling a small card from a slot in the wallet and handing it to Ben. Ben takes the card, reading the words on it. 

TULLY JOHNSON 
HOLISTIC THERAPIST🌼. 

With a phone number and address on the reverse.

"So you're a doctor?" Ben says, looking back up at the man now known as Tully. 

"I like to think healer of the soul. I've never attended college, I'm more the university of life." He says before adding, "I help people get to know themselves." He now sits back, taking a long drawn out suck of cold milk. Ben looks down at the card in his hand once again. "Do you think you know yourself Ben?" 

"Mmh?" Ben again looks up at Tully. He was now looking at him intently with those big brown eyes. "Yeah, I guess?" Was this another trick question? 

Tully suddenly takes the card from in between Ben's fingers. "Can I?" He gestures towards the pen hooked on the top of Ben's apron. 

"Oh sure." He says, unhooking the pen and offering it over, with Tully taking it in his left hand and clicking the end in order to write something on the card. 

''I have a few free taster sessions next week, give me a call." He says, now offering both the card and the pen back. 

Ben looks at the card, to see a few random dates and times written on them. "Ok, yeah...thanks." he says before getting up from his seat. 

"No problem." Tully smiles, once again turning back to resume his observations out of the window. 

Ben keeps the card in his hand momentarily as he heads back to where Malroy had been watching the whole time. 

"Well well, I stand corrected." He makes slow claps with his hands. "You got yourself a date with…" 

"Tully, Tully Johnson." Ben mumbles, still trying to process the past five minutes in his head. He looks back at the man at the window. Was this a date? Or had he just inadvertently signed up for therapy?