Saturday, April 28, 2007
Begging Ploy No 434
I was coming out of the supermarket yesterday afternoon. From out of nowhere - literally out of nowhere - this guy popped up and asked me for money for his busfare. I was a little surprised, he struck me like one of those zombies from The Night of the Living Dead. He said that he needed four pounds. I told him that I did not have it. For fear of my internal organs, I reached in my pocket, ah relief, brown coins - 12p. Then he turned on a couple of African gentlemen who appeared to rather irritated by him "Hello uncle" he said creepily "do you have money for my busfare". The response was icy "I'm skint". The beggar insisted and the response was equal against the insistence "I'm skint". I felt like such an idiot, I could have done that, but I was on my own, the guy looked hungry and he had that look that he would dine on my intestines if I did not give him some kind of donation.
