This morning, on my drive in, there was a man standing in the drizzle very near my office, with a sign: “Hungry. Please Help.” I didn’t have much time before the light changed, but I did have time to grab a couple of dollars worth of my parking quarters to give him. As I handed him the coins, I got a good look at him. He was probably late 20s, early 30s. Clean (in other words, new to the streets). Articulate (he spoke to me in complete sentences). Polite and grateful (clearly, he hasn’t had to deal with enough rude, uncaring people to turn bitter yet). The light changed before I could talk to him, but I wondered what brought him to this corner of Mass Avenue and Second Street. I could speculate, but why? It’s enough to know that there are more people out on the corners again.
About 15 years ago, there was a guy I saw every night on my drive home. If the light stopped me, I always gave him a little money (usually quarters, sometimes a dollar). If there weren’t a lot of cars behind me, sometimes we talked while I waited for the light. I found out that he had been an anesthesiologist, and had hit hard times. He’d had an accident (he walked with an honest limp), medical bills had piled up, he lost his job because he couldn’t work for a while, then he lost his home and everything else. He was a really nice guy. Chris was his name. He never smelled of alcohol either. I remember that over the months he started standing straighter, wearing cleaner clothing, looking hopeful. He still limped, but he looked great. Then one day he came up to my window and asked me to wish him luck because he was going on an interview that afternoon. And then I never saw him again.
I have no idea whether he got the job, or moved to another corner, or another city, or what happened to him. But I like to think he got that job and got back on his feet again.
A colleague of mine said he suspected Chris “put on a limp” to take advantage of others’ kindness, asking for money he really didn’t need. My colleague thought I was being naïve to “fall for the scam.” But I don’t agree. Why would anyone want to stand on a corner, in bad weather and nice, for everyone to look at, while they ask for money, unless they really had to do it? And really, what’s a few quarters here and there? I spend FIVE quarters on a regular cup of coffee every morning (Starbuck’s coffee is even more). I can do without a cup of coffee to give quarters to someone in need. I like to think that the quarters people gave Chris allowed him to get cleaned up and back to work again. Although I know that not all people in need will get back on their feet, isn’t it worth it to try to help when we can? I choose not to second guess the motivation of a man standing on a corner in the drizzle with a sign that says “Hungry. Please Help.” I choose to forego that first cup of coffee.
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2 comments:
Great post! When I was meeting a running group on Thursday nights, I would see the same homeless gentleman, who I later found out to be Leonard. I would always chat with him at the light, give him a couple of bucks or a bottle of water. One weekend, I gave him a bag full of long-sleeve shirts that my husband was going to throw away and his face lit up. He proudly showed me wearing his shirt the next week. Haven't seen him in about 3 years, but always look for him and hope he's doing okay. sorry for the long comment!
Thank you! I'm always heartened when I hear about people helping other people. I hope that Leonard and Chris are both doing well.
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