I had a chance to be helpful last week, but that train left the station before I could get on board.
It was in the Gas Station Chicken Store. A kid was standing off to the side of the register. He looked like a Goth throwback. Tall and thin, wearing a black hoodie (hood up), with black stringy bangs drooping over his forehead. I assume that he had a respectable boy-mullet extending past his collar under the hood.
I think Hoodie was trying to pre-pay for gas. He had no other items on the counter. The cashier was telling him the card reader wasn't taking his payment. I think it was $20.
"Oh. Uh. Just a minute. I need to check my bank."
Hoodie went down the aisle by the soda fountain, fiddling with his phone, before I could offer any assistance. I could have handed him a twenty from my lottery pocket, and not thought twice about it. Though I WAS thinking twice, since I didn't say it right away. I didn't want to offend Hoodie. Maybe he really was having issues with his bank. Then again, maybe he was a teenager who didn't keep close tabs on his balance. Or maybe a recent deposit had not yet been credited.
Anyhoo... I was about to ask the cashier what was going on, but another customer came in and stood behind me. So I didn't want to get the cashier in trouble for talking about another customer, or embarrass Hoodie by voicing my suspicions in front of that customer. Then another one came in, and I didn't want to hold up the line.
As I was leaving, Hoodie stepped back up, and said, "When you're ready, we'll try 15."
Then I felt worse. It's nothing to me to hand a stranger a twenty, no questions asked. I'd hope somebody would do that for my own boys if they needed it. Oh, I'll claw and scratch for a few cents, if I think I have been cheated at the register. But forking over un-asked-for cash to somebody who might need it is not an issue for Val.
I feel the same way as you Val. Back in the old days (when I was in my 20s), my bank balance was always very low. It's nice to know there are still people willing to help if needed:)
ReplyDeleteIt's hard these days to make the "help" decision. You don't want to offend somebody by making assumptions based on age or appearance. Much easier if it's just a one-on-one encounter, and you can offer it without others noticing.
DeleteI am also willing to give if someone was needy. At a drugstore, an old woman was getting a prescription, but didn't have enough money. She wandered away, trying to get her doctor. Meanwhile, I gave the pharmacist clerk $20 and told her to help the woman get her prescription. It felt good.
ReplyDeleteThat was a generous gesture, for someone in true need. I have felt good for giving a dollar to a woman who was trying to buy the cheapest bottle of whiskey at the Gas Station Chicken Store, and a tomboy counting out her change to buy a vape at the liquor store. Perhaps that says a little too much about the establishments I frequent...
DeleteYou are good hearted. Hick rubbing off on you?
ReplyDeleteI will hold my haughtiness in check, because I know you are just joking. But let the record show that Val was giving away money and goods for years before she met Hick.
DeleteThat's kind of sad, not even twenty in the bank. I hope things improve for him soon.
ReplyDeleteHe looked young enough to be a high school student living at home, perhaps with a part-time job for spending money. Still learning to handle finances. Maybe his check didn't get put in as fast as he thought.
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