for 13 OCT 05: HOW DO YOU LIKE ME NOW?
The man was skinny, had a long gray beard and carried a rolled-up umbrella. He was standing on the sidewalk more than he was walking down it And since he didn't hold a sign pointing me to a furniture sale, I could guess what sort of person he was....
Another clue to what the man was doing Tuesday afternoon was where he stood - along Veterans Parkway, outside Columbus Water Works. He was across the street from a 14th Street Spectrum store which has become a haven for beggars. At least he was near a place where he wouldn't dehydrate.
I saw this man as I pulled into the Columbus Water Works parking lot. I stop and park now to pay my water bill, because I use a credit card and waiting in drive-through lanes wastes expensive gasoline. Water and petroleum really don't mix, anyway....
Another man got out of his car just ahead of me, and he entered Columbus Water Works toward the middle of the parking lot. I took the same course, admittedly to avoid contact with the man on the sidewalk. I had a busy schedule, after all -- and not that padded a wallet.
It didn't take long to pay the water bill -- but as I stepped outside and walked toward the car, it happened. "Good afternoon, sir. Excuse me for bothering you...." No, those weren't my words. The man on the sidewalk wasn't aggressive enough to block my parking spot.
"Could you spare me some change, so I can get something to eat?"
"Let's go," I said and pointed him toward McDonald's. My late mother would say that restaurant is "catty-corner" from Columbus Water Works, at 14th and Veterans Parkway. Don't ask me which direction "doggy-corner" is.
"You seem to be in a hurry," said the bearded man walking behind me toward the intersection. I have a history of walking quickly - and when someone is trying to wrestle for the money in my wallet, speed could make a big difference.
I explained I had other things to do, which the beggar seemed to understand. But after we crossed 14th Street with the green light, I waited for the light to change before crossing Veterans - and the bearded man did not.
"We wait for the GREEN light here, sir," I said loudly as the man started across. Well, at least ten percent of us do.
The bearded man listened to me, thankfully. He returned to the curb just before a driver made a right turn in front of us. Of course, if you were begging total strangers for food, how valuable would YOU consider your life to be?
"You talked about my being in a hurry -- and now we have to wait," I explained to the man. They say patience has its limits, but sometimes impatience should have some as well....
The beggar suggested the light across Veterans Parkway takes a long time to change -- but as soon as he finished saying that, it did. We crossed with care, and walked into McDonald's. The time was about 4:00 p.m. -- which meant no food lines, perfect for the impatient side of both of us.
"A couple of double cheeseburgers would do me just fine," said the beggar. Trouble was, I didn't see them anywhere on the McDonald's board. Do you think the staff saw a "regular" customer coming, and wanted to send a message?
Another bit of trouble faced me at the cash register. McDonald's wasn't taking credit cards on this day, because of technical problems. I'd have to show my full hand -- well, I mean wallet.
"They're 99 cents," the McDonald's employee assured me about the double cheeseburgers. With that cleared up, the three dollars in my wallet could pay for the beggar's early dinner. But first:
"How much change do you have?" Since we were in a joint venture, I wanted him to share the sacrifice.
The bearded man reached into his pants pockets, and pulled out a total of nine cents. The man clearly was having a bad begging day -- but then again, he DID happen upon me....
His nine cents and my $2.05 bought the man two double cheeseburgers, and I walked out. But unlike previous encounters with beggars, this time I wondered if I'd done the right thing. Last weekend, my pastor said some giving can merely feed other people's bad habits. Well, eating IS a habit - but it beats the alternative.
The pastor went farther, and said we should say NO to people's requests for help instead of "wanting to be liked." Was I trying to win a friend by buying a beggar food -- and was that wrong? It's not like we exchanged phone numbers. Besides, this beggar might not even have a phone.
We'll leave those points for you to ponder, as we wrap up some highlights from Wednesday:
+ Talbot County issued an advisory to boil water - and some people complained they weren't told of the risk for two days. In fact, a home day care operator said a county commissioner next door to her never mentioned it! Maybe he was worried the woman might pull out a pistol.
(County commissioners only issued an advisory about boiling water to local newspapers - when Georgia rules require radio and TV stations to be informed as well. But then again, the alert might have been drowned out by all those loud car commercials.)
+ WRBL's Blaine Stewart read a news story about the Columbus Civic Center ice rink - and when the videotape never appeared, he drew an on-the-spot illustration of how the ice is prepared. It's about time they brought back the game show "Win, Lose or Draw...."
+ Instant Message to Rhodes Furniture: If you had shown that singing guy wearing a poncho in TV commercials months ago, you might not be holding a bankruptcy sale now.
(BLOGGER'S NOTE: We're posting extra-early because of the Biblical Day of Atonement, which Jews mark as Yom Kippur. A happy holy day to all who are keeping it!)
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