The other day I went to watch one of the children play sport at school.
I was a little late and the car park was packed so I had to park quite far away.
A man was there, dressed in a jacket, with smart long pants, standing at the window of one of the cars. My first thought was ‘beggar’.
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Then I thought, ‘wow, that’s unfair, he could be a parent’. But something seemed odd.
When I returned the man was still there, standing near my car, which by now was among the few remaining.
He came across to ask for cash, explaining that he had no parents, no job and was hungry.
I don’t really carry cash – who does these days? – and said so. The man said he understood.
He was blind in one eye and had no teeth.
I asked him if he had been anywhere to get help. He told me he’d been everywhere but no one could help.
Then he pointed to his pocket and said he had a rope. “I’m going to hang myself up,” he said, his exact words.
I explained to him that there was a church nearby where people could help him and find something for him to eat.
He said he’d been there and they had not helped.
At this stage I called BS on him. He did not appear to be starving and the church would have helped.
I pointed him in the general direction and pleaded with him not to do anything with the rope.
He facial expression changed, like someone sobering up, and he asked where the church was.
I was tempted to give him a lift, but opted against it.
I was disappointed I could not tell if he was genuine or telling a huge lie.
And also a bit sad that one cannot trust strangers anymore to give them a lift.
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