Charity

On a late rainy night back in June, I came out of a subway station and was getting into the car when a woman said something from afar.  I couldn't make out what she said, but she saw that she had my attention and came closer.  The woman spoke fast and her voice was shaky.  She said something about someone passing away and something about her kids being taken away by police.  She wanted money for a cab.

I couldn't make out the entire story, said sorry, and left.  At the moment, it just seemed like a scam.  Why would you ask people for money at that time/place, when there was a subway station and a shopping centre right there?  It just didn't seem real.

But, for whatever reason, her shaky voice and expression keeps coming back to my mind.

A week or two ago, I came out of the subway and was walking to the bus.  It was rush hour and people were moving about.  As usual, there were two (separate) people sitting on the ground by the exit, asking for money.  I never think much of it, because they tend to always be the same people.  But today was different.

I glanced over and noticed one of the two people was a young girl, probably sixteen or seventeen at most.  She held a sign, but I didn't catch what it said.  I did catch her face.  She looked worried and frightened.

The look on her face made me uneasy, but I continued walking to the bus.

But, for whatever reason, this thought keeps coming back to me.

Today, there was pouring rain, hail, thunder and lightening as we drove home.  By chance, as we drove into our neighbourhood I noticed a woman holding a child standing in front of the garage of a house.  It was clear that they were trying to shelter themselves from the rain.  I convinced my driver to turn back.

At first, the woman didn't speak too much English.  But she did finally understand.  With that, we gave them a lift home.

Society tells us we should be good people.  We should donate money, volunteer, help those that are in need.  At the same time, every day, we are told of fakes, scams and fraud.  The woman looking for taxi money was probably a fake.  The girl at the subway station was probably looking for money for alcohol or drugs.  But what if they weren't?  What if something bad had really happened at that woman's house?  What if that young girl got kicked out of her home and was on the streets?  What if the woman and child got hit by lightening?

Where do you draw the line?

In two of three situations, I did nothing, and to a certain extent, I regret it.

In the third situation, I did something.  Perhaps nobody will know and nobody will ever remember.  At least, my small gesture got a little girl out of the rain.