“Excuse me, sir! Excuse me, sir!” A very strange looking black fellow hollered my way as I walked out of Kroger a moment ago. I was bored and went to survey this week’s Blu-Ray disc offerings – planning to get mom to get me a few more movies on grocery day. The fellow sped up and began to walk beside me. “Will you buy me some sandwich bread and some bologna?”
“You don’t want money?” I asked, surprised.
“I am just hungry,” he replied. “I haven’t eaten in a month.”
I didn’t believe he hadn’t eaten in a month, but he did look destitute. His eyes were bloodshot red revealing he had spent a night either drinking or using drugs. Just take my word for it.
“Man,” I said. “You picked the most penniless white guy in town to ask for help.”
He looked at me strangely. From the car I drove and the clothes I was wearing, I looked like I would have some money. Appearances can certainly be deceiving.
“You’re shitting me!” he said.
“I would love to buy you and I both some food,” I replied. “I want to buy some movies myself.”
“Damn,” the guy said looking confused. “Everybody is cheap in this town. Not one person has helped me this morning.”
I felt terrible for the guy, but there was little I could do. I told him that persistence pays off and soon he would get something to eat. I am almost tempted to make some ham sandwiches, wrap them in aluminum foil, and carry them back to the guy.
3 comments:
Just one more reason I'm proud to call you my friend! You have such a big heart. Most people would have ignored him completely. You at least stopped and talked to him and treated him like a human being.
You're a kind person, Andrew - and that's hard to find these days!
Love ya,
Grannie
The thing is i know you WOULD have helped him if you had the money Andrew..i hope he eventually got some food, it is so sad when these people spend all their money on Alcohol or drugs..but they really cant help it if they are addicted can they.
Andrew, last year a frantic woman approached me in the grocery store pharmacy for $12 to help pay for a prescription. I had less than $20 in my purse until our next pay - just enough to pay for my rx and some small staples.
I told her also she picked the one person who couldn't help. And I sure wished I could. I even thought hard about it before I told her no.
I personally wouldn't feel bad about helping the guy that approached you.
But these incidents sure stick with you, don't they? Being able to feel strong empathy is not a bad thing.
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