I did something today I haven’t done in many years. I gave a dollar to a beggar.
He had the act down pat, and I was rewarding him for his ingenuity. Every car in line before me and after me did the same thing. It was a work of art.
Not only did he have the obligatory backpack, as if he was going somewhere. Not only did he have the sign (well used), saying he was an old veteran who was traveling and needed your donation. (I loved the "old" part.) Not only did he have the customary "God bless you" on his sign, and not only did he say, "God bless you," every time he got a dollar. This old dude had the perfect foil:
He had a fucking dog. A cute fucking dog. And the dog was on a leash that he didn't even manage; meaning the dog knew what the deal was. And he would give the dog a drink of water from his bottle and pat the damn dog on the head while it drank from a little beat-up bowl. Man, you've just got to love that sort of spirit of entrepreneurial begging.
I just sat there while waiting for the light to change and folded my dollar bill into a small square; but when I drove by and threw it at him, I couldn't help but hear that God had blessed me. And, in fact, I do feel more blessed now. But mostly for the dog’s sake.