Encounter at 6 am

I rather suspect he was waiting for me.

I had just shifted into reverse, took a perfunctory look around — this time of day there's nothing going on, generally — and started backing up, when he appeared at the driver's-side window.

I dropped the window, and before it was halfway open, he launched into the standard story: unfamiliar part of town, out of gas, could I give him a ride to — "I'm not going in that direction," I pointed out.

Undaunted, he shifted to Plan B. I'm still not letting this character into my car. I did, however, flip him a Sacajawea dollar (which he probably thought was a quarter) for amusement value.

The ancient art of panhandling, I fear, has fallen on hard times.

Maybe this guy should start wearing a PayPal button.

Posted at 6:41 AM to General Disinterest