Last Friday, I'm walking to work as I usually do, when I run into a beggar. He puts on his best "pity me" face, and goes for the classic line: "Spare some change?"
"No. Failures like you disgust me."
"It's not my fault! I don't have one hand!"
"Doesn't mean you can't work. How'd you lose your hand?"
"I was a farmer. Got it stuck in the machinery."
"What else can you do?"
"I can... cook, I guess? I guess I'd do anything for a buck..."
"You don't need both hands to cook. You need a palate, a heart, and a brain! You need the stamina to stay in front of an open fire in a hot summer day such as this! You need the alertness to keep in mind everything you need to cook, one after the other! You need HEART! You need SOUL! You need THE FIRE OF A DOZEN SUNS IN YOUR CHEST!! DO YOU HAVE ALL THOSE THINGS?!"
"...y-yeah, I think?"
"I CAN'T HEAR YOU OVER YOUR SNIVELING!!"
"Yes!"
"LOUDER!"
"YES!"
"THEN WHY ARE YOU STILL SITTING ON THE SIDEWALK?!"
"I'LL GET RIGHT ON IT, SIR!!"
"GO AND DO NOT RETURN UNTIL YOUR HEART IS AFLAME!!"
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHH!!!"
So the guy rushes off.
Today, I had to pick up some groceries. Most shops are closed down thanks to the Carnaval, so I need to go further than I normally do.
On the way, I see a whole bunch of people gathered and staring intently at something.
Turns out the hobo I yelled at the other day now had a hot-dog stand. And he was seriously raking in the cash. There were dozens of people in there, and there was just as steady a number of walking customers with food in their hands walking away. The ex-hobo was running the freaking stand by himself.
Literally single-handedly.
I walk away, glad I don't have to deal with another sniveling hobo anymore.