Over lunch, only about half the bag was eaten and I threw the rest in my purse to eat later at the theater (I saw I Love You, Man- deliciously awkward). I left lunch and jumped on the subway to go back to Queens for the movie. While on the V train between Queens Plaza and Steinway, a pan-handler got on and began jingle-jangling down the car, asking for money. Normally at this point a pan-handler and I usually engage in a quick one act play where I put my head down and pretend to be enthralled by something like my iPod. The pan-handler sees this, registers that I am pretending to be deeply enthralled with some inane object and doesn't ask me for money.
But not today.
Today I was unarmed. My iPod was dead and therefore the buds were not in my ears, my magazine was rolled up at the bottom of my bag just out reach. I searched my purse frantically for something to distract myself. With pan handler just a few feet away I reached in blindly and and pulled out... the gummy cola bottles. I quickly popped one in my mouth and pretended be reading the nutrition facts with unparalleled interest. Just as I thought I was safe, a hand, palm side up, was shoved in front of my face. I sighed, defeated, and looked up to see the pan handler smiling at me. He didn't want money. He wanted my delicious gummy cola treats.
At this point I had a decision to make. I could: (a) pretend I thought he wanted money and shrug my shoulders (b) pick a few out of the bag and hand them to the pan-handler (c) gently shake the bag and allow a few to tumble into the mans hand or (d) succumb to my yuppie, privileged, middle class guilt and act like it was okay if a stranger, ANY stranger, asked me for my CANDY and then stuck their dirty, subway-germ ridden hand into my bag of treats, dug around and then picked out some of the gummy colas. Needless to say I picked choice (d). The man fumbled around inside the plastic, pulled out a handle full of candy, popped one his mouth, chewed, looked at me thoughtfully and said, "These really do taste like cola." I smiled, "Yup, that's why I bought them." At this point I was glad I had given him some of my candy. I felt a camaraderie with him, almost like I had made a new friend. That was short lived however when he attempted to hand the bag back to me. "No, you keep it," I said. "I've had enough."
