There is always somebody that doesn't have food...

Written yesterday



I was at a friend of mine's today. A single mother. She was busy making her daughter's lunch for the next day while I drank some wine. The daughter was going on an excursion so the mother packed, perhaps, a bit too enthusiastically. The daughter protested very strongly, "mummy, you always pack too much food for me. I will never be able to eat all that!". Her mother replied, "better to have too much food than go hungry and anyway, there is always somebody that doesn't have food, share it with whoever does not". I agreed with the mother. There is always a child that will not come along with a lunch box. My friend also packed a bag for me, as if I was also a child. Fruits and the leftovers from our dinner. I also protested, "are you sure???" she did not even look at me as she stuffed the fruits into the bag.

When I arrived at my stop, it was raining. A homeless man stood there, with his belongings strewn in paper bags all around him. "Cigarette?" "Cigarette?" he asked each passenger that came off the train. Nobody even looked at him as they hurried away, towards the escalators.

"Cigarette?" he asked.

"No, I don't have cigarettes" I said, as I hurried towards the doors...then I stopped...

"But I have food"

"Really? what do you have?"

I looked into the bag, even I, was not sure what was in it but right at the very top, was a banana and orange...

"Well, you can have a banana if you like"

"That would be nice thank you"

"What about an orange? you can also have an orange"

"Oh, that could come in useful, thanks"

As I left him in the cold, I remembered what my friend said "there is always somebody that does not have food".

Today, it wasn't me... but there is always somebody...