Im sharing this story in the hope that it will inspire the way similar stories Ive read on the net have inspired me to do this act of charity. I was walking on a street in Greenhills yesterday afternoon when I saw an old man ahead of me. He was short, had dark skin, and was unkempt. He had a backpack on him and was walking barefoot. He looked like a beggar except that, unlike most beggars, he wasnt stationed in one spot or hopping car-to-car asking for alms. When I caught up with him he said, Boy, pahingi ng pangkain. Gutom na gutom na ako. I did not have any food on me and so I gave him money instead. I then went ahead. I would glance back to him every now and then. He did not ask everyone who passed him by for alms. But he did stop on his tracks after a few steps to rest. Aside from having a bit of inherent difficulty walking upright perfectly (his right leg seemed just a bit longer than his left), his backpack was obviously weighing him down too. I had a bag on me too. Inside it were my sports wear for my badminton game. I decided to stop at the next corner to put on the rubber shoes that I brought. I then put the sneakers I was wearing inside the bag. By then the old man had caught up with me. When he saw me, he held up the paper bag he was holding. He had a smile on his face. I surmised that it contained pandesal that he bought in a nearby store with the money that I gave him. I then asked him where he was headed to. He said he wanted to go back home to Lucena but did not have enough money. Hed been wandering in Manila the past three weeks. He came here because somebody had promised him some work. It never materialized and the people who came with him deserted him early on. He said his slippers were stolen from him while he was napping on the street a few days ago. I took out my wallet and gave him the fare money he needed. I also took out my sneakers -- my favorite pair of shoes -- from my bag and gave it to him for him to wear. His face lit up and thanked me with a bigger smile than the one he just flashed when he showed me the bag of pandesal. He said thanks and then we parted ways. I did consider that he was just conning me with his sob story. But I also thought that he could be telling the truth. I decided it was a chance worth taking and so I took it. Whatever the truth is, I hope that the help I extended to him really did help.
Posted on: Mon, 30 Jun 2014 11:25:50 +0000
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