As they were passing me on St. Mark's, the one on the right said, "spare change?" Before I was done muttering some version of, "can't...sorry," under my breath, the one on the left said, "That's a great camera."
As I took their picture, I talked to them, asking about how long they'd been downtown and how they'd been managing. I'm sure I came off as sincere as a social worker late on a Friday afternoon before summer vacation.
Of course, I didn't think to ask them their names, or even introduce myself. Hell, as we parted ways, I think I might have even said, "hang in there."
Hang in there? God, that's awful of me.
But in the end, we all got what we wanted. I got the picture, and they got more than just a few coins out of my pocket. A dollar bill. Like I was a grandfather giving a whole dollar to a little child. I'm feeling dirty all of a sudden.
But we all got what we wanted, right?
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