My favorite beggar has got to be the girl that hangs out on the Red Line. And I’ll admit…I gave her money the first time around (she said her husband was deployed!!) but I’ll never be fooled again. Here’s her game: First, she asks someone what time it is. She has a really loud voice. Then, no matter what the person says, she acts really frustrated or depressed. About a minute later she starts her announcement to the crowded subway car:
“Excuse me, I don’t know how to do this. I’m a hairdresser/single mom/receptionist but I don’t know what else to do. The police won’t help me. My bag/backpack/purse got stolen at South Station today and the police told me to get a cup and a sign/they aren’t a taxi service. All of my money and ID was in the bag and I needed it to get home to my daughter/son who has diabetes/autism and the bus leaves in about 45 minutes and it’s the last bus home. My daughter/son needs me there because he/she is just learning how to administer insulin/use the bathroom. I need 29 dollars for bus fee. My husband is deployed and my daughter/son is home alone. Please, I don’t know how to beg for money, I’ve never had to do this before, but I don’t know what else to do. Will anyone help me?"
And they do. And I did. And she repeats this every couple of months. I’ve seen her three times now, all with the same general story, and I’ve watched people ignore her and I’ve watched people fork over lots of dough. I didn’t say anything, but if the people next to me started to give her money, I was going to let them know that she’s either begging for drug money or she just has the worst luck in the world.
I wonder if she hangs out on any other T lines.
2 comments:
Did you ever consider that she is a performance artist, working an artform called "live theater?" What you've described is a monologue that she gives at different performance times and during the course of the monologue she solicits for money. If you've heard the speech before perhaps you are no longer moved by the performance, but as long as she keeps getting money from the uninitiated, there's no reason for her to change her story. Perhaps you should help her change her story by becoming a "heckler" or the "voice of reason." Maybe your influence will cause her to change the story and provide a different level of enjoyment for the people "just waiting" for the red line T. You know what? Some people actually sing for their supper.
Yeah well you can call anything art nowadays...
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