Last week, Shane opted not to go to Pokemon League night. I was pretty surprised. This week, I took him straight after school. I needed gas and Costco is only a mile down the road from the game store (side note: prices are up 11 cents to $2.04 after Hurricane Harvey hit Houston).
Sadly, there weren't any other kids around. With the start of school, the usual crew must be busy. I played a quick game with Shane myself.
To show my love and support the game store, I picked up a new copy of Exploding Kittens for Carrie on the way out.
We didn't go straight home, though. I saw there was a Hearthstone gathering at a local beer hall. Shane and I went to see what it was. He was the only kid, but everyone was kind to him. Shane got to help one guy play against "the boss," and then got to look at things from "the boss's" computer he'd been playing against!
We only stayed a short time. Like I said, Shane was the only kid. Everyone was welcoming, but he has a set bed time (especially on a school night).
A quick confession:
On the way out, we saw a man begging from cars at a stop sign. He saw us and asked for some change or cash. He said he was stranded in Cville and needed to get to Lousia (the county east of ours). I had no cash and offered to buy him some food from where we'd just stepped out of if he was hungry. He started to accept, but then insisted he needed cash to help him get home. What would food do? I pointed out the Region 10 services building was next to the beer hall and there was a grocery store down the way (pay phones, atm, etc, plus closer to downtown). We shook hands and he went on his way.
When we got back to the car, I felt it was important to show Shane my wallet was empty and say a prayer for the man. If the man was telling the truth, I'm sorry I did not do more for him. Part of me hopes he was lying, but that's selfishly for my own conscience. If he had gone towards Region 10 (Open 24 hours - I checked), asked where a nearby church/police station was, or accepted the offer to sit and eat I would have been more convinced of his plight. I want to be generous, but I don't want to be foolish and aid lying or addictive behavior either.
Still, I might have handed over cash if I had any just in case it was the truth. Asking for money normally indicates some sort of problem and the world needs more kindness. I didn't, so it's a moot point.
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