16 I GAVE IT ALL TO HIM

I passed him at 9:45 am on my way to work. He sat in the bus shelter, a large garbage bag to his left. He body odor spoke loudly giving way to the fact that he is a transient person. He was a hefty older Caucasian gentleman, possibly mid sixties with a pronounced stomach that hanged low with a shaggy grey brown beard.  He spoke to himself softly and his head dropped every so often in a nod as if he fought sleep.

At 5:50 pm after work I passed the bus shelter and saw from my peripheral that he was still stationed in the bus shelter. As I passed I heard him say, "Spear some change for something to eat?" Its been over 8 hours I know he must have been hungry.

I didn't have any money as I had spent it earlier at the grocery store to purchase a loaf of Bavarian Multigrain bread (flaxseed, sour dough Rye, barley, malted/cracked wheat) a block of white cheddar and a some package of beef salami. I figured instead of buying food for $10+ I could spend the same money and have sandwiches for a couple of days. I was taking the rest (bread & cheese) home with the intent of making sandwiches for work.

I turned and walked the few steps back to the bus shelter where he sat and said, "I don't have any money but I have some bread and cheese would you like to have it?"

"Cheese, yeah can I have the cheese," he said.

"You don't want the bread as well?" I asked as I pulled out the bread and the cheese from my little recycled lilac wave pattern bag to show him.

"Oh, wow, good bread and oh quality cheese," he whispered not intending for me to hear. Then he replied loudly. "Yes please I will take the bread and piece of the cheese."

"You can have it all," his eyes opened wide and he said "wow" softly. I  gave them to him and left.

As i walked away I heard him say, "wow, that's a lot of cheese, yeah."

I thought as I made my way to the bus stop for my destination. 'In a world where so much food is wasted people should never go hungry.'