Lunch

I headed over to what is left of Borders today at lunch to see what was left.  I went in with a small list of things that would be nice to get.  I didn’t find any of them. 

What I did find was kind of interesting.  I picked up a shrink-wrapped cookbook from an author I like (Jaime Oliver), a book about cheese, and a picture filled guidebook to poultry.  I got not only Chickens, but ducks too!  None of those items I even thought I wanted when I walked out the door for lunch.

Sometimes it feels good to just roll with it, and do things you don’t normally do.  I still needed lunch, so I headed somewhere I don’t typically go.

While I was sitting there enjoying the ambiance and fine food; I noticed a man standing by the highway off ramp with a sign.  I watched panhandling for change while I ate.  The last time I gave money to a panhandler was in San Francisco down by Fisherman’s Wharf.  There is a guy there who hides behind a potted ficus tree, scares the living crap out of site-seeing tourists, and then while they are all out of sorts hits them up for money.  He got me for the three ones in my pocket, and the Japanese tourists across the street who were watching presumably got good pictures they can remember forever. Today was going to be different. 

When I was done eating, before I got into my car, I fished a ten dollar bill out of my wallet and gave it to him.  He seemed genuinely surprised, and certainly grateful.  As I got into my car to go, he walked over to some nearby bushed, got a half empty bottle of water, and a couple of small bags of chips out of it, and hurried across the street.  He was obviously on a mission. So I sat and watched for a minute.

A woman appeared from behind a tree across the street and met him.  He showed her what he had, she smiled.  They then walked together, straight over the gas station convenience store, and I went back to work; where I get to do all of the “expected” things once more.

I almost wish I had given him a twenty instead.