Today I was walking to hollywood video to return some videos and there was this bum standing outside one of the stores. Even before I was within 20 feet of him he was asking me if I wanted to buy one of those spare change papers, which I've actually always wanted to buy but never seem to actually have spare change to afford. He was pretty persistent. I can never ignore folks like some can, maybe it's just practice, but I nearly always have to say something, usually I say 'sorry, man' or something like that...although I don't know that I'm always sorry.
'got any change, pal?'
'sorry, man'
'oh, well, have a nice night'
'you too, man'
a short time passes and then, just as I'm almost past him:
'got a cigarette?'
'sorry'
so I walked to hollywood video and dropped those movies off. On the way back I bought a pack of marlboros so I could give the guy a cigarette. I opened the pack and took out a cigarette for the guy and then walked to where he'd been standing. This time there was another bum with him who had a ballcap in his hand and asked me for change, he put the cap right up next to me. I said, 'no, but you can have a cigarette' he pushed the ballcap closer and said 'I'll take that' so I dropped it in his hat. I didn't want to get another cigarette for the other guy because I didn't want it to seem like I had bought the cigarettes for the reason I had, so I continued walking. On the way back I saw Henry Jenkins, my adviser. he's really cool.
I feel kinda bad that I didn't give the cigarette to the bum who I liked....I dunno, maybe they shared it.