It was 6:35 AM. I was opening the gate and getting the car ready to drive my son to school. At the sari sari store across the street from our apartment, cigarette vendors were making their deliveries. Standing outside the store, a drunkard was hollering at the vendors, requesting "free samples". My son and I drove off before the ending of that scene, but I'm confident that the vendors left the drunkard sans cigarettes.
When I returned home twenty minutes later, the vendors were gone of course, but the drunkard was still outside the sai sari store. On seeing me pull up to the gate, he began hollering at me - "Hello! Good Morning!". He yelled several times, but I did not respond. As a matter of fact, I did my best to completely ignore the drunkard.
I opened the gate, got back inside my car, drove into my parking space and closed the gate.
My lack of response to the drunkard upset him to no end. He stood outside the sari sari store, pointing at me and letting a woman sitting there know that I was every sort of so and so. I could not hear his exact words - and would not have understood the words had I been able to hear them - but I do understand body language.
I know the only reason this drunkard wished to make my acquaintance was because he was looking for money to buy tobacco and alcohol. I have to wonder - would this drunkard have approached a well to do Filipino with the same expectations?
Sorry, but I am not an ATM for drunkards.
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