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My hands and shoulders dropped when he didn’t reply.
“Where I come from we all help each other. Make sure no one has to want for anything.”
“Not here,” he answered without looking at me. “Here is every man for himself.”
I wasn’t sure if it were his words or the weather, but a chilling feeling travelled through me, and I wrapped my arms around my torso. Every man for himself? That was a wretched way to live. Standing, I looked around me, not really knowing where to go or what to do next. I had never felt so alone as I did in that moment.
Movement behind me suddenly called my attention, and I turned to find the man standing. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled, regret coloring his voice. “I’ve been in this life for so long, sometimes it is easy to forget what true kindness looks like.” He offered me an apologetic smile. “I can’t give you my money because I really need to eat, but you might be able to find some there.”
His hand pointed to a big structure at the other end of the road.
“Over there?” I pointed to where he had gestured, just to make sure.
He nodded. “The blue building is a supermarket. Their carts have quarters, and people around this area don’t care to get them back after shopping, so they leave them in the carts. I cleaned them out last night, but you might find more this morning.”
Joy returned to my chest, and I hugged him tightly. “Thank you!” I rushed to cross the road but stopped and looked back. “How do I get them?”
The man seemed startled by my hug at first, but then smiled, pointing to the empty space next to what he had called the supermarket. “People usually leave the carts out in the parking lot, if you return them to the entrance of the store and connect them, the cart will spit the quarter.”
Filled with a new determination and hope, I headed in the direction he had sent me.
