spread 'em
when i went out to get my lunch today, i happened upon a young lad that looked rather like this:
except that instead of early twentieth century orphan chic he was wearing an adidas tracksuit and a visor. and instead of a sweet, angelic, hard-done-by look on his face, he looked like the son of satan. with a hangover.
as i walked towards the corner upon which said young lad was standing, i wondered what exactly he was going to try and sell me, being that i could see he was holding a stack of papers and looking out for potential
it eventually became apparent that the young lad was holding a bunch of cheap australian flag stickers. which is lucky because i've almost run out of my supply of them. BONUS!
hmmm...
the conversation that took place between us went something like this:
dodgy kid: "hi, have you got a moment?"
la nadine: "sure."
dodgy kid: "we're trying to spread peace and happiness across australia."
la nadine: "sounds like a good idea."
dodgy kid: "you look pretty peaceful and happy."
la nadine: "that's a first."
dodgy kid: "would you like to donate some money so we can spread peace and happiness across australia."
la nadine: "that depends. who's we?"
dodgy kid: "um...the charity i work for."
la nadine: "and what does the charity you work for do exactly?"
dodgy kid: "um...we raise money for guide dogs and disabled people and sick people and blind people and the homeless and stuff."
la nadine: "wow, that's ambitious."
dodgy kid: "so, um, do you wanna give me...i mean US some money. you know, to spread peace and happiness across australia?"
la nadine: "sure."
(la nadine hands over a couple of dollars to the dodgy kid and starts to walk away.)
dodgy kid: "hey, don't forget your australian flag sticker."
la nadine: "that's okay mate, give it to someone who needs it more than i do."
did i believe his story? no.
did i think he was going to use the money to get up to no good? yes.
did i give a fuck? not one bit.
why? "raising money to spread peace and happiness across australia".
GOLD!
at least the kid was using his imagination.
who says the australian education system isn't teaching our youth anything?
*spreads peace and happiness*
7 Comments:
I didn't know you had a name for each of your legs...
this is good
you gave without judging. this is exactly whay bob said today in the buddhist meditation healing class. he said either give the money, or don't. but don't judge. you just do it.
and at least the kid was selling something like you said, rather than just begging, or mugging.
or was he really that small? well, cross out mugging make that pickpocketing a la oliver.
onya nads...
just like what melbournegirl's bob said
and dammitt why not reward the cheeky little tyke for his chutzpah
I gave someone $5 once because he had the balls to tell me that it was for smack.
At least he wasn't spinning some shit story about needing to catch the train home to Mildura.
My favourite... a homeless man with a cardboard sign that read:
"Ninjas killed my family.
I need money for kung fu lessons".
i was once sitting outside a trendy restaurant in fitzroy street, st kilda. this guy came up to me and was so desperate and convincing. he was almost crying. he was young and well dressed. he said he'd lost his rent or something, blah de blah. i was working so i gave him $10. but before i gave him the money, i told him, straight into his eyes, not to EVER come up to me again and spin a story. i told him i remember faces, and not to fucking try it on again. (yes, i swore in front of my mum)
then three weeks later i'm on acland street, and there he is, on the corner, going through the motions with someone else.
did i feel like i'd been had?
yep.
did it matter?
not that much.
personal favourite: RBB walking through the blizzarding and wasted Welsh winter, coughing her guts up, the result of some heinous virus(pleasant, I know). So some homeless guy shuffles over and says, sympathetically, 'god, that sounds awful. before you actually die, would you like to give me your money?'. He made me laugh. It hurt. But i gave him a fiver anyway. basically, all anyone has to do to get cash out of me is make me laugh. or give me a massage..
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