I refused to let a homeless mother sleep in my shop, and people have been calling me heartless ever since. I own a small provisions shop in a busy neighbourhood. I worked for years to save enough money to open it, and it is the only thing paying my bills. One evening, a woman came to me with two young children. She looked exhausted. She explained that her landlord had thrown her belongings outside after she failed to pay her rent. She had nowhere to go that night and wanted to sleep inside my shop until morning. I felt sorry for her. I really did. But I told her I couldn't allow it. My shop contains goods I bought with my savings. I have no security guard, and I couldn't leave someone sleeping there overnight when I wouldn't be around to supervise. She begged me. She promised she wouldn't touch anything. I still said no. She gathered her children and left. The next morning, one of my neighbours confronted me. Apparently, the woman had spent the night sitting outside a nearby church with her children. People were furious with me.