Over the sound of the rain and the pump he said, "Excuse me, I'm sorry to bother you. I've never had to do this before and I'm really embarrassed. I lost my job and I'm homeless. I'm hungry and I'd really appreciate it if you'd give me some money, so I can buy some food." There was so much noise that I said, "Pardon," and then realized that he was going to have to repeat his sad pitch.
I interrupted him halfway through his first sentence and extended my hand, asked his name. We exchanged names, made eye contact and I asked him how he got to this point. He lost his job at Pratt & Whitney in HVAC - he was a contractor and was let go under the last hired, first fired rule. He said he had lost that job a year ago and had not found steady work since. He said he was really hungry but assured me that if I said "no" he'd be on his way. He seemed kind and so sad.
Without hesitating I told him I'd give him money for breakfast when I finished pumping gas. He moved discreetly aside to wait. As I reached in the car I saw a gift card for a Dunkin Donus; the ideal answer since it was right up the road. I walked up to Doug and he seemed surprised to see me so quickly. I handed him the gift card and told him it had about $12 on it. He looked shocked, blessed me and walked quickly away.
I wanted to do more, give him more. I'd just come from dropping off a check for my daughter's yearbook - a $70 expense - and I thought about how that money would impact Doug's quality of life. As I drove up the road I thought about Doug, his circumstances, my good fortunes and how I could help him more. I saw Doug as a person; a sad person in a scary, lonely place. I still want to do more; to find Doug, find him a job and make sure he's safe.
