Usually when I am approached, I say I don’t have cash when a panhandler approaches me. The police officer at the crime watch meeting has told me to call 9-1-1 and report panhandling. I have done this and it was weird calling emergency for a panhandler.
Most times the panhandler will just ask for money. Maybe there will be a statement on needing the money for the bus.
Sunday as I came out of Walgreen’s, a well dressed woman came up to me almost in tears with an empty plastic tea bottle.
Her story was she had dropped off a co-worker and needed to get to Irving. She had just moved to the area, son is out-of-town. etc. Co-worker was supposed to give her gas money but went into the house and wouldn’t come back out.
Now the interesting part of this story, I even thought so at the time was that she was further east than where she said she dropped off the co-worker.
However, I did have a $5 and I pulled it out and gave it to her. She had shared that she had also been buying lunch for the co-worker.
So as I was handing over the money, I was telling her, “Don’t give other people your hard-earned money.” And I realized I was handing over my hard-earned money.
I have decided that the story was worth the money. Can’t go to the movies for that amount.