Dragonboat Day

Today. Woke up at 5:45. More like 5:50am. Knew I missed the train, snoozed, bought breakfast, and caught the bus. Then I missed the cheese bus
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I started writing this and forgot.

I'll skip that. It was a good day at the Hong Kong Dragonboat Festival in New York.
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That guy. There's a guy who stands by the corner of Roosevelt and Main by the news store who tells a story about his girlfriend locking him out. He's a fraud.

The first time I met him was on the second day of the dragonboat festival. After dinner with folks in Flushing, I was heading down Main St a little after 9 when a middle-aged white man, kind of young, in a tee and shorts came up to me and asked, "Hey, you speak English, right?" I stopped and replied with a nod and "yea." "Listen, ...." Then he launches into a story about his girlfriend locking him out of her house. He says he left all his stuff there, and he needs to get to his father's house in Stony Brook.

You know what. I felt bad for him. After a few exchanges, I gave him $10. Didn't have much more. He said something along the lines of, "I'll say a prayer to God for you." He knew about taking the LIRR to Woodside and then transferring, and he said he would return it (somehow) if I gave more and gave him my number. See, I thought he was legit.

I walked off to catch my train but passing by the ticket machines (actually, to check the price of a ticket to Stony Brook--$11.25), there was a CityTicket placed on the screen and stuck a little into the rubber frame. People usually leave those around because they are only good for that day. Plus, they cost $3.50 and there's a $2.50 service fee per ticket if you want to return it. Okay. Good. So I took it and walked two blocks back to him.

(He looked like he was about to run away. lol) I told (or insisted) him to come to the ticket machine to check the price of going from that station on the ticket to Stony Brook. Unfortunately, it would only save him a dollar or so. He thanked me and disappeared off into the darkness. I thought about it on the way home. I should have asked how he got to Flushing in the first place. I regretted not being able to give him more.

What, does he target teenagers or something? Four weeks later, while I was taking my sister to piano lessons, there he was again. With a cap. I stared at him, wondering if that was the guy who asked me. Apparently, I stared a little too long. I turned, waiting for the light, and he walked up to me. "Hey listen, my girlfriend dropped me off..." "No, you asked me before," I said tersely. "Ok," he replied. I didn't turn to see where he was going.

Well, so what do you think? Would you have given him $10? Would you have proceeded with your life or would you have lent him an ear? There are people like him who prey on the pity of others. Maybe it's more noble than just saying "I'm homeless" or begging on the street. At least he wasn't pickpocketing people.