The kindness of strangers: it was the jacket of my dreams – then he offered it to me at a price I could afford

‘[The shop owner] suggested I try it on. I did – and was transformed. But I knew it could never be mine.’ Composite: John Rawlings/fotograzia/Condé Nast via Getty Images

When I think of random acts of kindness, I think of Paris. This may come as a shock to some, but as a tourist I’ve had more offers of help in Paris than anywhere else in the world. I have had more suitcases carried up flights of stairs or lifted on to luggage racks and been offered more seats on the metro than I can count – dating back well before I considered myself ancient enough to qualify.

My most recent trip there was for a precious weekend reunion with an English friend. On our last day together, we meandered along the tasteful street that runs the length of the Île Saint-Louis, stopping outside a boutique whose window displayed the jacket of my dreams.