Today, I watched as a little girl panhandled in front of my office. She, unabashedly asked every passerby for change. And before you begin to pity this little girl, who I’m guessing was about 8 or 9 years old, I listened as she boasted to her little friends how she was able to get strangers to give her money. She even assuredly approached a group of teenage boys to prove to her friends her new skill and walked away winking, honest to God, after the boys gave her money.
With my many cigarette-breaks, it was only a matter of time before the girl asked me for money. Low and behold, she did. She even had a disingenuous pout as she said, “Do you have 75 cents?” I wasn’t going to reward this performance so the chubby little girl could buy more candy. Yes, I called her chubby, and yes, I watched her buy candy after receiving each hand-out.
Well, one thing I can say is she’s well on her way to becoming a successful adult. As any adult will tell you, deceit will get you far in life. Right?
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until I visit the Patriots Hall of Fame!
I'm Angela - I'm staring down the barrel of my 30s (gah) working as a production editor
(office bitch) for a small newspaper. I'm consumed by my endless devotion to
the New England Patriots and have recenty taken up knitting to keep busy until September. Oh yeah, and I have a really whacky boyfriend to keep me amused.
Children like that grow into adults who disgust me. And what I would like to know is where are her parents while she is out pandhandling?!!? That’s just disgusting all around.
I thought you quit smoking because you are pregnant. what happened?
I lost my baby in July and the thought of having a cigarette was the only thing that kept me from shooting myself.
I’m sorry to hear that Angela. I completely understand. All the best…
[...] Working on a busy main street, it’s never a dull moment in front of my office. With crackheads running up the street, and juvenile panhandlers loitering, there’s always something going on when I step outside for a smoke break (I take many, many smoke breaks by the way ). I should also mention, my office is located steps away from a very large high school and this school (stupidly?) allows its students to go outside for lunch. [...]
[...] Fall 2006 - They’re starting early nowadays - I am disgusted by a girl begging for money. [...]