Weirdo alert! Val's magnet is still pulling them in!
Tuesday, I had to park at the end of the building to visit the Sis-Town Casey's. As I parked, I saw a man pushing his bicycle along the sidewalk. He appeared from behind their enclosed dumpster, and leaned his bike against the concrete wall. He walked to the corner, and peered down the sidewalk in front of the store. I thought nothing of it. Maybe he was meeting someone. He wandered back towards his bike, and I climbed out of T-Hoe and went inside.
As I was settling myself in T-Hoe upon return, The Guy walked halfway towards me, and said through the windshield,
"Ma'am? Ma'am? Do you have two quarters?"
I shook my head no, and he nodded. Wandered back down the sidewalk and disappeared behind the dumpser.
Since I don't buy my daily 44 oz Diet Coke any more, I don't keep my coin cup on the console. It's put away inside. Don't need 100+ projectiles flying around if I have to slam on the brakes. However... when I looked down, I saw a handful of coins in the top of the console itself. I think I got them a couple times when I just bought bananas, and didn't use my debit card, but paid cash. It was four quarters, two dimes, and a nickel.
Anyhoo... you know Val is a sucker for helping people. I don't know what he wanted those quarters for. Laundry? A snack? A tiny airline bottle of booze? Not my business. But since I had them to spare, and wasn't using them, it was only sensible to give them to someone who needed them.
I saw The Guy wander back towards his bicycle. He was around 38-40 years old. Dark brown hair almost to his chin level. Wearing a Karate Kid bandana tied around his head. Thick glasses. A couple teeth missing. Not dirty. Just kind of scraggly, but shaven. I motioned to him. He came around to my window.
"I just looked, and found these coins. Here."
"Thank you! You are so nice! You go to church, don't you?"
"Well. I used to."
"You are a good person. Thank you."
It takes so little to make some people happy...
You making points in heaven? I am the same way. I have my vices: dark chocolate, Goodwill shopping. Who am I to say what the person asking for a handout does with it? Give without strings attached. You made that guy's day.
ReplyDeleteHe was quite happy to get my coins. I figure my permanent record has more pluses than minuses, so I'm good.
DeleteI give when I have change in my pocket but that hasn't happened in a while. I can't afford to be handing out notes. I used to give to a blind lady and put the money into her hand and tell her how much it was, instead of just dropping it into her guitar case where others could see and steal it because she can't see them. she must be in a section of town where I don't go because I haven't seen her lately.
ReplyDeleteMaybe that lady had to find a more productive part of town, or one with fewer ne'er-do-wells that might help themselves to her collection.
DeleteI give when it feels right. Sometimes the vibe is off, like a guy asking for money to buy a bus ticket, when the nearest bus station is 25 miles away. Wonder how he would get himself there, without a bus to catch!
So nice of you! When we lived in Tampa, back when one would get samples in the mail. small boxes of cereal, breakfast bars, body wash and all manner of freebies, I kept them in my car to give to people you see begging at stop signs. One day, I turned on the news to see a story about a woman doing the same, except hat she had dollar bills she would attach. As she was handing some stuff to a beggar, he stabbed her with a hypodermic needle. A cautionary tale to do-gooders. The news went on to explain that the woman had to be tested for AIDS and put on prevetative antbiotics .... proving that old adage 'no good deed goes unpunished'.
ReplyDeleteI don't write about it to receive accolades. It was $1.25, by cracky! It's just something unusual in my humdrum life.
DeleteI felt safe enough with this guy, since I was in T-Hoe with the engine running, and he held out both hands to receive my coins.