Today I was sitting at a local community college waiting for the class that I tutor in to start. My earbuds were in, and Muse's "I Belong to You (+Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix)" was playing and I was smelling the lavender in this truly beautiful landscape feature and it was a really great moment when this guy came up to me and was like, "Can I borrow a dollar?"
I had just sold back a book for three bucks that morning, so I actually had cash. I was sitting near the bus stop, and the bus is a dollar, so I thought, I'll be a nice person and give him bus money instead of lying or ignoring him like I usually would.
"Sure," I said, reaching for my super-awesome Mugwump wallet made out of a map (Adriatic Sea section) that my mom bought me a long time ago.
"You don't have a five, do you?" said the guy, "'Cause that would be great."
I narrowed my eyes. "No, I don't." Even if I did, I would have said I didn't. I was going to get the nicest bill for him so it would scan in the bus change-machine, but now I kept my wallet pinched shut so he couldn't see (as he leaned over to look inside it) that I still had two other bills.
"Here you go," I said, handing it over.
He grabbed it. "Do you got a smoke?"
"No," I said.
Then he stalked off away from the bus stop to hit up another clump of people for money. Well, at least he can't get much with just my dollar, but I still feel mad at myself for enabling him to buy drugs.
And yes, it was for drugs. It's a pretty common technique around here, and I fell for it.
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