Not enough money for gas

Nostalgia brought me to the place of my first employment.

On my way out a man approached me and asked me for help.

He explained what he wanted and I didn't agree. I told him that I'm willing to buy him a plastic tube for gasoline and I'll pay for the gasoline and give it to him. He denied my offer.

Then he offered to go in his car with him and he'll drive to the gas station... I told him that I don't go in a car with strangers...

I kept telling him that he should let me help him my way...and he kept denying. In the end he was frustrated with me and almost yelled at me... I realized it was time to tell him "bye".

I walked out and I was furious. Then in my car I went over our conversation and realized that he was a scammer. 

Money for her daughter...

I often feel nostalgic for the first area where I lived when I immigrated here.

I recently found out that A store I thought was closed forever had actually moved to a different location.

So I decided to go to that store and see if they had something I wanted.

I was ready to go to the register and pay for my things when a loud "excuse me!" made me turn around. A woman approached me and told me a story of how she had an argument with her brother and she had to leave the house and she left her purse at the house...

Then she said she needed to buy medicine for her sick daughter who had asthma.

I admit that she fooled me. But it was only because I showed a genuine desire to help someone in need. 

It was something she said...that made me realize she's lying. She mentioned that she is wearing a brand name sunglasses...and that she's not a poor person.

It was too late when it all came back to me... I had already given her $30.

Had I realized that earlier... I would have just blown her off.

The first walk in downtown Chicago

It was a Saturday. 

My parents and I were invited to take a walk in downtown Chicago by the friends who took us in for 2 weeks when we immigrated in the U.S.

Everything in Chicago seemed foreign to me... but also impressive.

Until I saw something I thought I would never see...

There she was...a pretty girl sitting on a piece of a carton box and holding a sign that said: "Stranded. Please help". At the time I didn't know what "stranded" meant... My first thought was that her parents abandoned her or threw her out of their home... It made me realize that my idea about how great was this country was a bit far from the truth...

The girl had the saddest eyes I have ever seen in my life. It made me cry for a minute... Then we had already passed by her and I lost her from my sight.

After that day my eyes opened. I began seeing what's in front of me and I forgot about my first idea of the life in the U.S.

The girl who lost her wallet

It was a Saturday afternoon and I had been out for a stroll in downtown Chicago. I was waiting for my train when a girl approached me. She said she's one dollar short for her Metra ticket to Joliet and asked if I had a dollar...

Then she continued talking to me and said she lost her wallet. I asked her "how did that happen?" and because she didn't expect me to ask she made up a story how she had to "fix her pants" and when she did, her wallet was gone from her back pocket...

I knew she was lying about everything but I still gave her a dollar...

10 years ago

I never really paid attention that the weirdest things for me happen on Saturdays.

It was long ago in 2005 when after working the graveyard shift at Subway a man approached me. He was nice and we talked about different things. Then he began telling me his story. He was stranded and trying to go to Florida for his sister's funeral and details went on and on. He asked me if I could give him some money... The truth was that I didn't have any. So he said that it was okay and left me alone.
I was raised to believe that I should help people who are in need...
But no one ever told me about the scam artists who abuse good people...