White Sox
10-26-05 11:54 p.m.
I just gave $14 to a woman on the street. I believe I was duped.
I am in Chicago for more training for Apple. My training ended today at 9 p.m. Afterwards, my colleagues and I went to eat dinner. In attempting to find a restaurant in which to dine, we first entered a rather upscale Steak house that had a 45 minute wait time. Hungry, we exited and crossed the street to a unique Italian restaurant called Buca di Beppo. This restaurant was remarkable. Looking into the storefront window, I immediately declared that it was a ‘no go.’ Not dissuaded, my colleague said, “let’s give it a shot.”
We entered to a warm greeting by a flaming queen with bouncy dreadlocks, a little excess weight and dressed all in black. He offered us a seat in the lounge and invited us to ask any questions. I asked if we could sit in the restaurant. He immediately flamed out and took us on a tour of the entire restaurant, beginning with the kitchen where they have a large, round booth for ‘special’ guests. We wound through a maze-like floorplan with many twists and turns. As we walked through the restaurant, I noticed the abundance of imagery on the walls (every square inch was covered with pictures) and was especially excited by the abundance of kitsch. A ceramic bust of the Pope encased in a glass cube graced the center of a large group’s table. In another area of the maze, a corner was turned into a shrine to Frank Sinatra. As he swished down the corridor, our host declared that “We have over 2000 pictures here. . .you’re welcome to look at every one, but you’re not going to be able to because it’s impossible.”
We followed him and he sat us at a large booth. The four of us enjoyed an exceptional dining experience
In some sort of serendipitous or perhaps unfortunate turn of events, the Chicago White Sox won some very important game at the exact moment that we were preparing to leave the restaurant. We thus exited the restaurant to the streets of the North Michigan area gone wild. Cars were honking and people were screaming. I do not understand baseball, nor do I get why people become so excited when a team that is somehow related to the city in which they live win a game. I do not understand the relationship between the people living in the city and the athletic team. The people that live in the city did not do anything—they’ve accomplished nothing. It is odd, but I am sure that is a topic for another blog entry. As I sit here writing, the horn honking continues loudly and I hear it from my eighth floor room.
Anyway, I had two Cosmopolitans with my dinner. I am still a bit inebriated. When I exited the restaurant, I was quite tipsy. My hotel room is several blocks from my colleagues, but, when asked if I was okay, I confidently replied that I was fine. As I began to make my way back to my hotel, amidst the honking horns and screaming fans (some literally jumping up and down—these are grown men), I suddenly found myself face to face with a crying woman. She looked up at me and immediately began rambling, “Not all black people are bums begging for money,” (she was an African American woman) and continued, “but, I just need to get to a battered women’s shelter. . .I need to get me and my kids to the shelter. Can you just come get me and my kids on the bus to the shelter—I ain’t got no money and I need to get me and my kids on that bus. . .I’m not beggin’. . .I just need to get on that bus with my kids. Can you come with me.”
I was drunk. I pulled a wad of cash out of my pocket. She said, “I’ll give you my wedding ring.”
I replied, “I don’t want your wedding ring.” I unrolled a ten and three ones – the rest of my cash was three twenties. I briefly considered giving her a twenty, but I did not feel quite that guilty. I handed her the thirteen dollars. She again offered her wedding ring. I declined.
She walked away and I stood watching. I was stunned by my actions and then felt stupid as she approached a group of businessmen and began speaking to them. They ignored her and she continued on. She gave a high five to several men who followed the businessmen and I never saw her approach any children. I then tried to think of what kind of bus costs fourteen dollars. I stood for a bit longer and watched her as she made her way down the street, approaching various people, obviously asking for money. I felt a little bit stupid, but I guess that’s what happens when you drink Cosmopolitans with dinner.
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This morning as I made my way to training, I stepped carefully past a woman who was lying in the middle of the sidewalk. I noticed her about a minute before I came upon her and wondered how my fellow humans were simply stepping around her. As I got closer, I noticed that she had a paper cup lying beside her that she had her hand wrapped around. She shook it lightly every other second. As I passed, I looked down at her and tried to think of what to do. How can one human allow another to lay on a sidewalk? What the hell do you do about it? I felt bad. I had no answers. I did nothing except to step carefully around her and report to training. I thought about it a lot, but could not come up with any other way of handling the situation. She seemed fully cognizant of her behavior and I did not feel that I had the authority to guide her toward a different path; and, yet, how can I let another human being lay on the sidewalk begging for change?