The man sat on the front row of the bus as if to say, "Here I am!" He stank. His hair unkempt, his nails long and dirty. He had on open-toed slides with one sock on. The bottom of his pants leg looked like it may have been crusted with dry blood. Wrapped around his wrist were two plastic bags -- one with empty aluminum cans -- he clutched a plastic cup like what you'd find in a gas station. He pulled a wad of bills from the cup, rifled through them, and dropped them back in the cup. At some point, he looked up and his gaze pierced through my shaded eyes and deep into my heart. This man had a history, a family perhaps... maybe a son or daughter who cared or didn't care about him. I wondered about him. What was his story? Had he served in Vietnam? Where had he come from? Surely he hadn't grown up on the streets... What happened to send him to the callous, concrete streets of Ft. Lauderdale? Where did he sleep at night? Where did his money come from? Where was he going on this bus? (I assume he was trying to escape the heat of the day for a few hours...)
After we stepped off the bus, we entered into a world more familiar, but now more uncomfortable after my brush with reality. The mall doors were pristine glass, polished and print-free. Soothing musak filled the air as made-up saleswomen floated over the floor. Saks Fifth Avenue was having a huge clearance sale 40-60% off everything in the store. If you know me than you know that "Clearance" perks my ears like nothing else in the world. Kim and I tore through the racks hoping to score some sweet deals on designer jeans, tops, dresses... Even at 50% off, the price tags were so far out of my budget I felt unworthy to even touch them. At any moment, I expected a saleslady to approach me and kindly ask me to take my cheap ass out of there... How dare I enter their store carrying a backpack, wearing flip-flops...
Face it, Laina... You weren't made for the BCBG, True Religions, or the "shoo-shoo froo-froo" brands of the world. Stick to your Gap and LL Bean... they're safe and sturdy, and familiar.
Isn't it ironic that such vast differences mix so easily in our society? How can I justify spending $100 on a pair of jeans (even IF it's on MEGA clearance?!) when I've just witnessed a man carrying around all his earthly possessions in two grocery bags?
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