The sugar coated pitch

"Hey, bro' can I have a word?" 

Looking curiously at the man beckoning me I instantly thought do I know this person who had waved at me from across the road as though we knew one another. 

 

So I crossed over taking a closer inspection at the man and swiftly realised I didn't know him. (It was a little dark and he black, so, well - I could have known him).

Anyway, I didn't...

"Er, hello..." My brain quickly trying to asses why this chap wanted a word with me.

Then he started to ramble on. And ramble on he did with much gusto. The man who had addressed me as 'bro' was talking about how he was hungry and had been here and there all day. My heart didn't go out to him in the slightest. 

I had twigged on now. I was fully aware of what would follow after the quite articulate pitch. As I've come to realise over time, is that 'these people' love to finely sugar coat a hard knock story before the customary request utters from their chapped lips. By now I was stood there quite bored pondering as to why this man wouldn't just get to the point.

Eventually, he did, and when he arrived at the moment of truth he finally asked me for some money to get a bus to wherever he wanted to go. (Rehab? No, probably not, crack den more likely).

Anyway, my response: "Sorry, I don't have it." (I actually didn't as well, but if I had had the money on me I still would have told him the same thing).

His response: "What?! Oh great!" Then he trudged away without as so much as a goodbye. 

And I thought we were 'brothers.'*

Demola, TCC 

* If he was my real brother, (if I had one) I would have given him some money for a bus ride, but as he was my other type of 'brother' and a suspected substance abuser/liar I didn't see it fit to help perpetuate his habit.