Yet another strange sign, this one in the St. Vincent de Paul on Wellington street. I wanted to go up to the counter with, like, a handful of items and say, "I'd like to put these on hold" and the person would say (properly) "We don't put items on hold for customers" or "we don't hold items for customers" and I would contest that there is no sign stating this and they would point to this sign and I would say, "Ah yes, but I have several ITEMS. Not just one."
Ha! Take THAT you, you, CHARITABLE ORGANIZATION!
ha.ahhhh...
Anywho, when I was leaving St. Vincent de Paul (feeling self-rightous), a young homeless guy stopped me and asked me for a dollar. This is the first homeless person to ask me for money in Ottawa and really? He was in pretty good shape. This is how the conversation went down:
Homeless kid: Do you have a spare dollar?
Me: No, sorry.
(now, I should stop here actually and tell the truth. I didn't actually run into this young man just after I left St. Vincent de Paul, I ran into him after I left the cupcake store right beside St. Vincent de Paul, and so, of course, I had a giant cupcake in my hand while I apologized for not having a dollar for him).
Homeless kid: Don't say you're sorry! Don't lie. My dad used to say he was sorry every time he hit me when I was a kid but he'd turn around and do it again and again (he pauses to see if he's registered a reaction from me).
Me: (eating my cupcake).
Homeless kid: I mean, don't say you're sorry. Just be honest. I don't think you should say sorry if you don't—
Me: (with my mouth full of cupcake) Okay, I'm not sorry.
Homeless kid: Fine. Thank you. I appreciate your honesty.
I wasn't trying to be mean, it's just that he wanted honesty. Plus, he was fully clothed and, well... with it. I've seen some seriously greusome homeless people before. Ones with scabby eyelids and frightening opinions. Anyway, I liked this kid's moxy and so I chatted with him awhile. He's 22 and got into drugs quite young, he's trying to get his high school diploma, he's learning long division with decimal points, he wants to be a welder. He can't find work because he can't get a bank account because he doesn't have his birth certificate or proper ID. I felt bad, but I didn't give him any money. I told him (honestly) I didn't think he needed it. And then I told him that St. Vincent de Paul had a sign that they were looking for clothing sorters. He said he'd check it out, but I don't know.
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