I have this horrible habit of trusting people. Even strangers. Why? Because I'm a sucker, that's why.I'm the perfect person to approach at North Station with the "I had a huge fight with my boyfriend this morning and we broke up and I need some money to get a train home," line. Why? Sucker. Sure, I'll see the same girl in North Station the very next day telling the exact same story to an unsuspecting stranger and for one brief fleeting moment I'll think, "You broke up with him AGAIN?! Did you not learn your lesson yesterday?"
Walking home from a bar one night my friends and I were approached by a couple in need of help. The story they told us was an intricate web of lies that my trusting soul got trapped in, not unlike the ants I used to throw into spider webs when I was younger. Granted sobriety was not exactly a shield I could protect myself with that night, but had I not been a few drinks deep at that point I most likely would have reacted the exact same way.
They were out for dinner. Their car got towed. They needed $20 to get a train home so they could go get the car. (What train costs $20? I don't know. Stay with me here.) The woman had four teeth and had clearly spent too much time in the sun as a youth (which, from what I could tell, was a very long time ago). The gentleman was a little more put together but was wearing a Starter jacket. He also claimed he was a chef at the Legal Seafood in the airport. Chefs don't lie! He actually validated it by saying, "you probably think this is a con, but it's not." What a ridiculous line. Who would possibly fall for that? This girl.
I tried to resist it. In my head, I even start to think "this is such a con," but out comes my wallet. I justify it afterwards by thinking, "Hey, maybe these people needed this money more than I do right now....maybe they are in a dire situation and aren't just con artists...maybe they have a baby who needs formula?" Probably not. The more likely story is that I just enabled a drug habit. Still gives me the warm fuzzies though, I helped someone!
So the moral of the story is...ask me for money. No. That's not it. The moral is that I hope if one day I ever have to rely on strangers in an emergency, someone will help me. Lots of crappy things could happen. What if I lost my phone and wallet simultaneously while I happened to be all alone and far away from home? Exactly. Karma is a chameleon. It come and go, come and go....and it better come my way if I need it.
3 comments:
My dog ate my wallet and I need money for Cheeze-its. Please help. Wait, I don't have a dog, but I do like Cheeze-its. Hi!
Outside of the french fry incident, this night was probably the most mad at you I've ever been. Not only did you give money, but you openly took out your wallet and began combing through your money in plain view of said criminals thus leaving yourself absolutely no ability to pull the usual response of "sorry I only have $1." This man stood there HOLDING A CELL PHONE yet claimed he had absolutely no way to get out of the city. I just glared.
Might I add that miss Lisa Lisa also has openly handed out money to the "homeless" people that work the intersection near Alewife. Whereas I lock my window for fear they are going to jump in and ask me to take them to work at Legal Seafoods at the airport.
What's remarkable is that this post could just as easily describe me and my own tireless efforts to be the victim of a scam. Most of the time I think, "This is most certainly a scam." But then some tiny, stupid voice in my head always says, "Didn't you hear what the man said??!! He needs your $20 to save 12 drowning orphans in the Charles River! The sooner you hand over the cash, the sooner he can buy a $20 crowbar and lift the massive Citgo sign off of them after it was violently struck by lightning and hurled from atop Fenway Park!! Have you no decency??"
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