Two or Three Dollars

I was on the way to a doctor's appointment Monday morning, and had stopped for fuel a mile or so from his office.  I had filled up and was about to pull away when there was a rap on my window. I stopped and rolled the window down to see an elderly woman standing there.

"Do you have two or three dollars I could have?" she asked.

Well, I learned a long time ago that giving money to bums is counterproductive, so I immediately replied, "No. Sorry, I don't."

She stepped back, and I left, arriving at my appointment with minutes to spare.

That should have been the end of the story, but it isn't.

It occurred to me after I left that she was definitely NOT a bum.  She was well dressed, her clothes were clean, and her hair and makeup were immaculate.  

Even worse, I realized that she looked familiar. I don't know how or why, but the more I thought about it, the more I was sure that she was someone I should have recognized.

I have no idea why she was at a gas station near the airport begging for money, but the longer I think about it, the more I think that I should have done something. 

So if you, your mother or grandmother was asking for money Monday morning at the Exxon on Will Clayton Blvd., and got stiffed by a guy in a black Dodge pickup, you have my sincere apology.