You might remember that Mrs HM is not very tolerant of beggars. Panhandlers or legitimate charity solicitors, I rarely contribute. I have my selected charities to which I donate, by check, on a yearly basis.
Friday, I was accosted by a little girl and adult man as I hobbled into the Gas Station Chicken Store. They were set up by the door, in front of the window. I'm not even sure if they had permission. They were essentially standing/sitting in the drive by the gas pumps.
I was clutching a $60-winner scratcher. I'm not sure what the
charity was. The Man was holding an opaque plastic container that reminded me
of a hospital urinal given to men patients to do their business in bed.
The Little Girl asked if I wanted to donate to help sick people get
better. How was I supposed to answer that???
"It's only a dollar. And you get a Tootsie Roll."
"Um. Sorry. I only have this big lottery ticket."
I went in and did my business. I usually spend $9 in there. A $3 crossword, a $3 purple picture ticket, and a Cash4Life draw ticket for The Pony. I cashed in my $60 winner and got back $51 in change.
"I'm going to give this dollar to that little girl for her charity. I couldn't exactly give her that $60 winner when I came in. It wouldn't fit in the container, heh, heh!"
"Oh, that's nice. She couldn't have cashed in that ticket anyway! She's not 18!"
I wasn't doing it to be nice. But she was such a bold little thing, sitting there on a kid-size lawn chair, eating a sucker while her companion held out the money jug.
I walked past and stuffed the dollar in the jug. "Here ya go. I've got change now."
"Thank you! Don't you want some Tootsie Rolls?" said the Man.
"Nope. Don't need 'em."
"Thank you," said the Little Girl.
I really wish whatever this Tootsie Roll charity is would give people a name tag or paper apron or something to advertise the charity. There's a lot of beggars afoot these days.
4 comments:
It's possible they were just collecting for themselves so they could eat something for dinner that wasn't tootsie rolls.
River,
Yes, that is possible, though usually around here, the "just beggars" make no pretense of collecting for charity. The man had a lot of dollar bills stuffed in his "urinal." I'd guess about $20-$30. I don't know how long they'd been there.
Some people beg as a matter of fact, it is their "job". They will tell you they can't find a job, but I see help wanted signs everywhere. That being said, I wold have stuck a dollar in his urinal, too.
Kathy,
Yes, some of them set their own hours and pull in tax-free money. They don't have much success around here, but I can see how they would make a living at a city off-ramp or stoplight. The urinal man was not pushy, and the little girl was a future businesswoman, heh, heh. So I figured a dollar couldn't hurt.
Post a Comment