Low Tolerance

So I'm just getting ready to leave McDonalds when I notice this girl asking every person in the place if they'd give her money for food. I have to admit, seeing this made me leave much faster. I realize that some people need help and that we should be generous...but I wasn't in the greatest mood to begin with that day.

As I leave, I see in the corner of my eye that she has spotted me. I started to feel annoyed as she followed me out the door. As she followed me she said, "excuse me" a couple times, but I just kept walking towards the grocery store. Once inside, she was preoccupied by all the other people in the lot.

But when I came out a few minutes later, there she was. Her and her freshly dyed, lemon yellow hair were now smoking a cigarette. I witnessed her follow another lady to her car. As she grabbed her shoulder so she could ask her for money, the lady was startled. I could tell she didn't appreciate this desperate attempt.

As soon as she was denied, the beggar came towards me. I am nice to people sometimes. If someone asks for money for food, occasionally I will offer to buy them food. If asked for money for the bus, I will give them a bus ticket. What bothered me about this girl was that she had a full pack of smokes and had clearly just dyed her hair. So when she finally asked me, I said "no". "Maybe you should have used what you spent on those cigarettes and that crappy hair dye for food."

Yeah, I know. Horrible. Maybe it was my mood, that I'm 7 months pregnant or maybe it's just that I'm a jerk. So many younger people are out on Winnipeg streets trying to live free. They have no clue what it's like to work and feel good about being paid for their time. I don't understand why they'd rather beg than accomplish something more.