Note: Karma. I believe in it. All my life I've heard the saying: "What goes around comes around." Did Bob believe in Karma? I don't know. I like to think so. He once said to me of his little acts of kindness: "I'm selfish, I guess. I mainly do what I do for me."
So today, on the anniversary of the last blog posted by Bob (oldsky), I submit to you the one he called "A Human Stray":
Sunday, April 06, 2008
A HUMAN STRAY.
Current mood: accomplished
Category: Life
It wasn’t quite daylight when the old man pulled into the Waffle House parking and saw the man sitting with his back against the newspaper box. The old man hadn’t bought a newspaper in at least ten years but decided to break that string. He dug five quarters from his pocket and walked to the box.
The man scooted out of the way so the old man could get his paper.
"How you doing?" the old man.asked.
"Pretty good," the sitter said. The old man knew that was a lie. He’d been collecting strays most of his life and knew the look.
"I’m fixing to get some breakfast," the old man said. "You want some?"
The man on the hard cement looked up at the old man with a shadow of disbelief in his eyes. "I’m hungry," the old man said. "If you want to eat, get off your ass and come on."
The stray tore hell out of the Waffle House menu to the tune of eleven dollars and fifty-three cents.
As the old man was getting in his car, the stray shook his hand and tried to say how much he appreciated it, but the words were awkward.
"Forget it," the old man told him. "I was glad to do it."
The old man drove home remembering a time thirty-five years earlier when another old man had spotted him as a stray.
