Went to Friendlys Restaurant the other day. While inside eating, I noticed a man peering into the window. He motioned to me he wanted to eat. He kept putting his hand to his mouth. He was a crusty looking white guy with a knit cap and big jacket on. There were no gloves on his hands. He looked like he had had a hard life. As I looked around, everyone seemed oblivious to the man peering through the window. How did this man decide on motioning to me and not someone else?? I will never know. I couldn't eat my food with bloodshot eyes staring at me. He looked like he hadn't slept nor bathed in a week. I took my cheese fries and last 5 dollars and handed it to the man outside. He grabbed the food and money and said thanks, hopped on a bike and took off. I never did get his name. He had spent more time looking through the window then actually in my presence.
I believe he was a homeless man. Perhaps from the homeless camp in Toms River. I guess I'll never know for sure. I wanted to get him some gloves only he left before I could mention it to him. As he rode down the road my thoughts went to wondering what happened in his life to bring him to this point? Did he have mental illness? Did he just give up on life? Perhaps his family went their seperate ways? Maybe he lost a good paying job and home? Whatever it was, I'll never know. The reason I helped him was not so much because he was hungry it was more because that man could have been my father or my brother. And I would hope that someone would do the same thing for them. It was the right thing to do. I can go home and look at myself in the mirror and feel that I made a small difference in someone's life. I wonder if those who ignored him at Friendlys can say that?
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