I smiled happily, looking behind me while taunting my mother, Mary, and my cousin, Sophia.
“Anya! Come back!” said Mary, trying her hardest to contain her laugh, and make a stern; mother-like face.
“You don’t want me to get lost do you?” I asked, hands on my hips, shaking my head.
“Never know, it might be nice not have to share the bathroom, bunny.” Sophia said jokingly, referring to my old elementary school nickname. I was always bit energetic, and I was a good jumper.
“You know you secretly love cleaning up after me, hun.” I grin waving my index finger in front of the two, but walk to them, and link my arms with theirs. I so did not regret our summer vacation plans. New York, I remind myself, looking forward to see the art museums, the building, the time square, and last but not least-
“Hot dog stand!” I shriek happily, grabbing one dollar from my back pocket. I slapped my hand on the counter, and the vendor smiled, and handed me the ketchup and mustard covered hot dog, and put the one dollar bill in the register.
“Thanks sir!” I say politely, and turn back to my family. Sophia gave me a disgusted look, and said,
“That’s like your tenth. I swear, Anya, how are you still not full?”
I shrug my shoulders, and happily eat my food, without a care in the world.
“Not my fault you two are vegetarians, I like meat.” I said while my mouth was full.
“Yes.” My mother said, “And I like tofu burgers, but you don’t see me eating one dozen.”
“It’s a dozen only after I eat twelve, silly.” I reply, and skip to the garbage can, and throw away my napkin, and licking my lips. Mary opened the map of New York, and asked, “Where too?”
My cousin grinned, and exclaimed, “Times Square!”
I nod, and the three of us climb on the tour bus, heading towards our wanted destination. We proceeded to gape at the architecture, smile at the tour guides jokes, and try to grab the tree leaves that oh so happened to be above us at almost every stop.
The bus stopped, and we got off. My mom gave each of us two one dollar bills, to give as a tip to the tour guide.
“We was a nice man, c’mon.” She nudged us.
“Why don’t you do it?” I asked.
She waved her hand, and said, “Momma knows best.”
I roll my eyes, but give the money to the man, while my cousin gives it to the woman who sounded like she smoked five packs of cigarettes each day.
“She smelled like it too...” She whined, as soon as we were an ear shot away.
I won’t lie to all of you; New York was filled with freaks, worse than Wal-Mart during daylight. We saw a cowboy stripper, taking revealing pictures with young college girls.
“How isn’t he cold? He’s only wearing that thong.” My cousin remarked, as mom decided to cover both our eyes with her hands. We saw an old man, wearing a kilt, a spiked bra, and with his hair gelled to make one spike, almost as long as his arm.
“Whoever said the freaks come out at night…”My mother muttered.
“Has never been to New York!” Sophia and I said happily, and we laughed together. Mary rolled her eyes, and said, “C’mon girls.” She tried to turn, and accidentally bumped into a young man.
He dropped what he was holding and Mary and Sophia dove down to help him pick it up. I remained standing, looking at him. He seemed tall, with chocolate coloured skin, dark coffee eyes, and when he looked up to me and smiled, pearly white teeth.
“Perfect, three beautiful young women. Would you like to make a twenty dollar donation?” He slowly got up, holding some simple caps, and a fanny pack. He had a charismatic and deep voice.
“Oh no, no thank you.” My mother said, while she grabbed hold of my elbow.
“With each donation, you get one hat.” He waved the hat in the air laughing.
“As amazing at that sounds, we don’t have the time.”
“Pretty ladies like you must be busy, but I’m just askin’ you for a few moments of your time. Give twenty dollars for the children who don’t have meals daily.” He placed a pink hat on my mom’s golden hair and said, “Are you a model?” She laughed, then asked, “For a child’s meal?”
He gave a big, toothy, handsome smile, and repeated, “For the children.” She looked to me, then Sophia, and we both shrugged our shoulders. She reached into her wallet, and pulled out an American twenty dollar bill. Instead of putting it in an envelope, he placed it in his fanny pack, and gave us one last smile then disappeared in the large crowds.
After a few moments, I asked, “Did we really just give twenty bucks to a stranger for a five dollar hat because he complimented us?”
Sophia shrugged, and Mary said, “Looks like it.”
I shook my head, and took the pink hat off my mom’s head, and placed it on my cousin, “Are you a model?” My mom blushed and laughed a bit, “Now sweetie, I can still ground you.”
I stuck my tongue out, and winked. We walked around a bit, but I secretly couldn’t wrap my head around how easily we got scammed. We had to pass an alley, to reach the Museum of Modern Art, said my cousin.
“Stick next to me girls, the people look here dodgy.” She put her right arm over my shoulder and her left over my cousin’s shoulder.
I couldn’t help but mutter, “We saw a 70 year old kilt wearing Goth in a spiked bra, does it get any dodgier?” Mary told me to shush, and I did. We entered the alley and I had to look away. There was an old man, covered in grime. He wore a pair of dirty pants, a spoiled jacket, and a tattered shirt. The poor thing didn’t even have shoes on.
He held out his filthy hand, and softly begged us for money. I forced myself to take a peek, and what I saw broke my heart. I began to reach for my back pocket, to at least give him something. My mom moved my hand, and made me walk faster.
As soon as she thought he couldn’t hear us she hissed, “Don’t give him anything, he’d just spend it on booze and drugs.”
You couldn’t even get one can of beer, or a bong for five dollars.
“Anya, why would you do that? Then he’d just follow you around.” Sophia said, ignorantly.
He didn’t even look like he had enough energy to stand up.
“We don’t have enough money to just throw it to every old man who is too lazy to get a job.” My mom said, as I looked back, that old man had moved onto another pair of people, who actually decided to spare him some cash.
I looked to my mother thinking, you can give a young, handsome stranger twenty dollars, but you can’t spare five for a poor, old, sick man? Then the glass shattered in my mind, and I realized, how selfish we could be.
No, not selfish, but, shameful. I lowered my head, unable to look either of them in the eyes. I had the urge to run back, and literally throw all my cash at the poor old man, and laugh in my mothers, and my cousins face. I wanted to lecture them about the man from before, but I couldn’t bring myself to. Maybe I was the selfish one, they thought that they were right, but here I knew it was wrong, and I couldn’t bring myself to say so. I couldn’t bring myself to help that man, while we walked slowly to a museum.
I suddenly remembered a picture I had seen on the internet that said; Most people preferred sugar coated lies, to live in their happy fake life, instead of the bitter, but truthful life.
I promised myself next time I would help the next person, but I knew was lying to myself. I cast him a blind eye, and I realized I’d probably do it again.
