I’ve been to some conventions that could use a man like that

I was walking towards the grocery store and noticed a man approaching people in the parking lot. Some days I feel like my resting bitch face is impervious, but that was not one of those days. The guy caught up with me, at least got close enough to yell, “Can you help me?”

I’m in a rural area with a surprisingly vibrant charity scene that does an admirable job of keeping people in poverty fed and housed, so it’s basically unheard of to see homeless folks begging and very rare to be approached like this in the grocery store parking lot. All that is to say, when someone asks for my help, it’s hard to pretend I didn’t hear the plea.

It started out normal enough, the guy was down on his luck asking for money. I told him, truthfully, I don’t have any cash on me but I could buy him something if he needs me to.

He agreed and asked for one thing: Soap. Didn’t matter what kind.

Fortunately, he did not give it back to me and suggest that I needed to use it so I couldn’t have smelled too bad.

I want to do this to someone…but also, that feels like a really bad idea.