Child drags a wagon full of empty cans. His face begins to turn red; embarrassment recommences to take over his psyche. People continue watching him. Child does not get any sympathy for hard work. Child walks towards a lonely path to another garbage bin. He looks in, but nothing there. He switches his hands and takes the wagon with his other un-used hand; his hands are getting tired from dragging the wagon up to the hill.
He is abandoned and panic stricken, but determined to succeed in amount of cans would need to gather, in order to feed his uncle who struggles to count loose change on the grass.
One man looks towards him. Would he rescue this child from a destruction of anonymous proportions? The man continued staring into gray space of where the child continued separating empty water bottles from empty soda cans.
“Hey, are you okay?” Man asked the child
“Um, ye…yes, sir, I am oka..Okay”
“Where are your parents?” Man asks.
“My uncle is over there!” Pointing index finger towards South.
Child’s hands are small from all the digging he did in the garbage bins. Hands dirty from picking through half empty bottles and empty soda cans.
The man’s eyes follow child’s index finger. Man’s eyes lock into a trance like mode. Man continues staring at child’s uncle who seems to be smiling, while he counts his loose change on the grass.
“Okay, that’s good! Man moves his right hand into his back pocket hoping he will locate his wallet he thought he forgot at home.
“Here you go!” Man hands a 100$ to the child.
Child looks at the man in astonishment.
“Well? Take it!” Man moves his hand further from his body towards the child.
“No, thank you!” Child says while continuing to separate empty water bottles from empty soda cans.
“Why? Just take it!" Man says, while his facial expressions outline agitation.
“No! I do not need your one-hundred dollars! Please, leave me alone!”
“What?” Man confused and shocked that his 100$ was turned down by a homeless kid and an uncle whose counting change on the grass.
“I do not need your money!” Child re-assures the man. “Please, leave me alone! I have a lot of work to do.”
The child grabs his old beat up wagon in his right hand and starts pulling it up towards another hill. The man follows, surprised and annoyed. The man asks again.
“Why won’t you take my money? You are homeless and cannot take care of yourself. The 100$ will help you with food and other necessities.” Man says while panting from the uphill climb.
“You didn’t hear me? I do not need your money because you feel generosity today. You think here is a child, homeless he must needs my help. However, are you really helping me or are you helping yourself? You feel shame towards yourself because you have seen other homeless people too, but have you offered money to them? Probably not! Look sir, I do not need your money. We are doing fine! Please, just leave us alone!”
“But…”
“No thank you!”
Man watches as the child struggles to make it up another hill. Man looks for a second at his one-hundred dollar bill, squeezes it and puts it back into his back pocket.
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