a little bit of gratitude
After leaving my editing class last night, I drove up to the parking-lot pay booth and handed the woman my ticket. After a moment she turned back to me and asked for $12.50. I fished for my wallet and began to pull out the money, only to discover that I had something close to $11.75 in cash on me. I sighed (I knew this might happen), but I handed her the money, every cent I had.
"Wait, wait," she said, "This doesn't work. This isn't enough."
"It's all the money I have."
"Well, I can't do anything about it."
When I left for Berkley I thought I had it all figured out. I would use my bank card at the gas station, using my last $40 on a full tank to be able to get there and back. I arrived an hour and a half early (in order to escape the hellish traffic that made me late last time). I had already figured out how much (I thought) I would be spending on parking, so I went ahead and bought myself a mocha, thinking I would have just enough later to pay for parking.
I considered explaining all this to her, that I literally had no money. I considered asking her for a break, especially since we were talking about less than a dollar. But something in her manner suggested that her position on this was immutable.
Instead, I hopped out, leaving the door open, the car running beside the booth, and the women holding what was the last of my money. I walked up to the car behind me and asked the woman inside if she had a dollar.
"She won't let you go?" she asked. I shook my head. The woman in the car rooted around inside her bag and finally held out four quarters.
I thanked her, walked back to my car, payed the lady in the booth, and drove away. Not five seconds out from the parking lot, I began to cry. I was so grateful to her for giving me that dollar. So little, but I needed it, and she had been kind enough to give it. Wherever she is, thank you, thank you.
x-posted to infinitethanks
"Wait, wait," she said, "This doesn't work. This isn't enough."
"It's all the money I have."
"Well, I can't do anything about it."
When I left for Berkley I thought I had it all figured out. I would use my bank card at the gas station, using my last $40 on a full tank to be able to get there and back. I arrived an hour and a half early (in order to escape the hellish traffic that made me late last time). I had already figured out how much (I thought) I would be spending on parking, so I went ahead and bought myself a mocha, thinking I would have just enough later to pay for parking.
I considered explaining all this to her, that I literally had no money. I considered asking her for a break, especially since we were talking about less than a dollar. But something in her manner suggested that her position on this was immutable.
Instead, I hopped out, leaving the door open, the car running beside the booth, and the women holding what was the last of my money. I walked up to the car behind me and asked the woman inside if she had a dollar.
"She won't let you go?" she asked. I shook my head. The woman in the car rooted around inside her bag and finally held out four quarters.
I thanked her, walked back to my car, payed the lady in the booth, and drove away. Not five seconds out from the parking lot, I began to cry. I was so grateful to her for giving me that dollar. So little, but I needed it, and she had been kind enough to give it. Wherever she is, thank you, thank you.
x-posted to infinitethanks