This land continues to amaze ...
Yesterday I was standing on a street corner near our house near an elderly gentlemen who was asking passerbyers for help. Unfortunately this in itself is all too common. In our neighborhood we have several dozen people regularly panhandling for change.
This gentlemen was different. He was slightly disheveled, but not too much. He had a couple of bags of groceries at his feet. He also had great big thick coke bottle glasses and was holding an ATM card. It took me a moment to realize that instead of asking for change he was asking for someone to help him with the ATM. I looked on in amazement wondering if this was some sort of new scam and or if in fact someone would attempt to help him.
Two or three people passed him by without so much as glancing his way but a third gentlemen, around his same age, stopped to hear him out. After a few explanations they exchanged names and handshakes and the second man began helping the first man with the ATM.
Could you imagine, in Canada, asking a random stranger to help you with the ATM? Giving him or her your super secretive pin number, having them withdraw cash for you and the whole time trusting that they wont rob you blind ... after all if you cant read the ATM screen a pretty good chance you couldn't give the police a very good description of the culprit either.
After a couple of minutes they finished at the ATM and the coke bottle glasses man kissed the other man's cheeks and they went on their way. The whole time I stood there in amazement.
Yesterday I was standing on a street corner near our house near an elderly gentlemen who was asking passerbyers for help. Unfortunately this in itself is all too common. In our neighborhood we have several dozen people regularly panhandling for change.
This gentlemen was different. He was slightly disheveled, but not too much. He had a couple of bags of groceries at his feet. He also had great big thick coke bottle glasses and was holding an ATM card. It took me a moment to realize that instead of asking for change he was asking for someone to help him with the ATM. I looked on in amazement wondering if this was some sort of new scam and or if in fact someone would attempt to help him.
Two or three people passed him by without so much as glancing his way but a third gentlemen, around his same age, stopped to hear him out. After a few explanations they exchanged names and handshakes and the second man began helping the first man with the ATM.
Could you imagine, in Canada, asking a random stranger to help you with the ATM? Giving him or her your super secretive pin number, having them withdraw cash for you and the whole time trusting that they wont rob you blind ... after all if you cant read the ATM screen a pretty good chance you couldn't give the police a very good description of the culprit either.
After a couple of minutes they finished at the ATM and the coke bottle glasses man kissed the other man's cheeks and they went on their way. The whole time I stood there in amazement.
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