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The Encounter
By Harry Watts
The man was driving home after a hectic day spent at his office. He was tired, bone weary and the beginning of a headache was slowly creeping into his head. The traffic was brutal and he decided to take the next exit off the interstate and go home on the longer but less frantic route. He inched his way along and finally the exit ramp was in sight. “At last,” he sighed and proceeded to make his escape. “Home before dark”, he thought, an increasingly rare occurrence these days.
Looking ahead he could see the traffic light at the intersection a few hundred yards ahead. But the traffic was not moving as quickly as he had anticipated. “What now”, he wondered. The anxiety he had left behind was returning along with the headache. He saw the traffic light cycle from red to green and back to red but the line only moved a few feet. “Must be an accident” he guessed, but after a few more minutes he was able to see what looked like a solitary man standing on the median. Vehicles were moving slowly past him, some stopping to say something and others to search their pockets for spare change. “Another dope addict”, he muttered in disgust , “begging for money to get his evening fix”. He looked on in disgust as some people would stop, holding up traffic to give the man money. “Don’t they know they are enabling him to continue his addiction”?
The man considered himself to be a Christian. He contributed to his church and gave to the United Way. He helped others when he had the time but unfortunately with his job and everything… He was getting close to the intersection now and he could see the beggar more clearly. What he saw confirmed his suspicions. The man’s hair was long, greasy and unkempt. Threadbare rags partially covered his body and his shoes were tied onto his feet by lengths of electrical cord. When he smiled, many gaps were prominent where teeth used to be. Those that remained were black and decayed. All in all he presented a very unwelcome sight.
The light began another relentless cycle and the driver thought he could make it through the intersection without having to stop, but he was not so lucky. He was forced to stop a few feet away from the ‘druggie’ where he noticed the man held a sign. It was a small piece of cardboard where he had written, “Please help, God Bless you”. “They always appeal to your conscience,” he thought, “and they usually have a dog.” But he would not be taken in. “Besides, everybody’s got their hand out these days and I can’t help them all. I’ve got a wife and kids to feed”.
Suddenly, the panhandler came up to his window, and their eyes met. He stood there not moving, just fixing his eyes upon the driver. Neither of them moved. “Would that light never turn green? Who was this man to harass him this way?” In anger, he rolled the window down. When he did, the smell of the man overwhelmed him and he knew he needed to give him something or continue to endure this standoff.
The beggar watched as the man fumbled in his pocket and finding no change, reached for his wallet. Inside there was only a single $20 bill. He hesitated, that money was for his son’s allowance and he promised to give it to him tonight. Finally he removed the bill and thrust it towards the beggar. “Take this and please move along,” he said.
The beggar moved to take the bill, and when he did, the man saw his hands for the first time. He gasped!. There were horrible scars in the palms of both hands. It looked as if spikes had been driven through them. And his shirt, if you could call it that, was lifted up slightly and the man could scarce believe his eyes. A prominent scar was visible from where the man had been cut. Maybe stabbed.
The beggar laid hold of the bill, rousing the driver who was momentarily lost in thought. Their eyes met again for perhaps the final time, but the driver was amazed at what he saw. The bloodshot eyes were now clear, and his face radiated love as the driver had never felt.
The beggar held his gaze for a moment and smiling, he walked away. The driver called out, “Please wait, are you hi…?” The man looked back, and the driver saw a beggar again but in that moment he knew.
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