Paying It Forward

All Aboard

I like to think of myself as a nice, decent human being. Which is why I gave train fare to the nice girl, about my age, over the weekend. We were both boarding the Metra Train and she suddenly realized she had no cash.

I didn't think twice about it. It wasn't a big deal - it was less than 5 bucks and I'm a strong believer in paying it forward.

This girl, however, was overwhelmed by the gesture. She was very grateful. Too grateful. She wanted my address so she could mail me money when she got home. "Absolutely not!" I told her.

Determined to make it up to me some how, some way,  she started offering me food.

"How bout some Goldfish? I have some Goldfish in my purse."  she said.

"No." I laughed it off but was starting to get offended. Was she really offering me food? I'm not a homeless person! Or a hobo! Clearly.

"I have some fruit snacks. You want some fruit snacks?" she persisted, holding up a Fun size bag of Welch's fruit snacks.

And then things changed, cuz I fucking love fruit snacks.

"Ummm...Actually, sure. I'd love some fruit snacks." I replied.

Making the line between me and a hobo a little blurry. Which is a bummer.