Can I have a fried egg too?

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A friend and I were doing some shopping downtown when on the way to the car park we were approached by a young boy who clearly lived off the streets.

-          Excuse me. I am not a robber and I am not going to hurt you. But I haven´t eat food in three days and I am very hungry.

I reached into my pocket to give him some change.

-          I do not want your money. I was wondering if you could buy me some food.

-          You want a sandwich? There is a bakery right there.

-          If you don´t mind, I like a plate of rice and beans.

-          Ok. Let´s go into that bakery. They also serve lunch and you can order whatever you want from the menu.

-          Really?

-          Aren´t you hungry?

-          Oh, yes!

-          Then yes, you can order whatever you want.

We went into the bakery and were approach by a waiter who turned to the boy and told him that he was not allowed in there. I immediately told that waiter that he was with me and asked for a menu.

-          Here you are. Look at the menu and order.

-          I´d like the rice, beans, fries and beef.

-          And to drink? I asked.

-          Orange juice.

-          You heard him. Please make sure that he is well served.

-          Oh, and if it is not too much to ask. Could I also have a friend egg with that?

-          Sure.  Waiter, please give him all of that. Thanks.

The waiter took down the order but with a despising look. I told the boy to take a seat at one of the tables and went to the cash register to pay. I asked the cashier to make sure that the boy was well served.

-          You know lady, he isn´t going to eat everything. He is a drug addict and always roams this part of town.

-          He said he was hungry. I am buying him the food. I am doing what I think is right. Now whether or not he eats it all, that is his problem. But I am not going to sit with him to see whether he does the same way that I am not going to stick around to make sure you serve him appropriately. I have faith in you and in him.

-          We will serve him.

With this being said, the cashier yelled out at the waiter to treat the boy very well.

      -Ok you lunch is paid for. Take your time to eat it and if you want to take the leftovers with you just ask the waiter. OK?

      -Thank you so much. God bless you.

My friend and I walked out of the bakery but still hung around a while to check on the waiter. We saw that he had taken some bread and butter to the boy´s table so we figured that they were going to hold up their end of the bargain. We walked over to the car park knowing that we had completed our task for the day.

( Written October 22, 2012)

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