Ani was packing change, a lot of change as we talked about yesterday so I knew we were going to be stopping at places where Ani could spend freely. I therefore thought it would be smart to be caring some cash as well and I wanted to check on my credit Union account. We were moving quickly and spending dough, stopping at the 7-11, and Starbucks junk food and sugar seemed to be the “food’ of choice. I decided we should stop and take time for some “real food” at least the illusion of protein .
As a rule I distain Arby’s or a think I do but remembered last week when we got the curly fries, I was surprised the fries were better then I had anticipated and I wanted to order a more. Since there is an Arbys in the same area as the 7-11. I had heard of the Arbys “5 for 5 “ campaign, I have be brutalized un -mercifully by the same campaign but as I listening to the options the option the 5 for 5 option starting sounding pretty interesting. I found I cold get curly fries, cheese logs, ham melt or a beef melt or even a drink or a mix it up. I could get lots of stuff. We had drilled through the $20.00 I had withdrawn earlier in the day but were doing OK. We still had maybe ten ones ad lots of “silver”. I did not think about me searching my back pack in front of the whole restaurant. In fact I was searching for change to spend to get rid of, to lighten my load. Really, I just did not wan to have to use my bank or VISA card. Cash only, leaving not trails is the way we were traveling today.
Like I said I was digging though my back pack and wallet and so was Ani, since she was helping pay for the feast. We decided on a cheddar beef and a ham melt cut in half so we could share, cheese logs, one suicide fountain drink and curly fries. We were truly in our element. We took our bounty and headed for our table and dug in. We were sitting there happily munching away, me enjoying the curly fries and Ani busy un curling her fries and having a great time when we suddenly heard a geriatric asking if we had enough food, or would be like some more? Ani of course was instantly confuse and where I started out confused I soon clearly realized that were being charity(ed). This was terribly awkward, sitting in the middle of the Arbys being asked if they could feed us more. I felt like a seeing eye dog must feel when someone asks its owner if they can pet it. I tried to be gracious but firm in conveying that we were OK and did not need anything. Ani and I must have looked pathetic “dime diving” to the bottom of my back pack. I managed to finally convince granny that the two of us were OK and had enough lunch for the moment. The damage had already been done though, we had been singled out, accused(indirectly ) of being paupers—maybe they thought we were charity whores. Who knows? We eventually got back to our lunch and were just finishing up when a little girl approached our table gingerly. She was obviously doing something she was un sure of but she was being forced to do it. She was clutching a perfectly wrapped “Cheddar-Melt” and pushed the sandwich onto our table and said “My grandma said you can have this—we’re done eating and says you can have it.”.
Ani’s eyes became the size of plates as she began to recognize the first inklings of a free food scam. Hang out with grand pa= free food…would it work at KFC?!! I tried to decline the sandwich with out breaking the kid’s heart—after all she was just the messenger. The world seemed to stand still as it waited to find out whether we would accept or decline the benevolent offering of food. In order to get the world spinning again and return the universe to the natural order I accepted the gift. The “messenger” skipped back to an adoring grandmother while the perfectly wrapped Cheddar melt sat on our table like IED waiting to explode. But Ani seemed to know that were not going to touch the sandwich while the clan was there and would watch the beggars chowing down. The clan finally did leave and the second they left I nodded to Ai who dismantled the IED and just ate roast beef knowing she could do what ever to this sandwich she wanted. She ate the insides without being yelled at for leaving the bun.
We still had places to go and as we left the restaurant we felt we had been somehow slimed—but the sun quickly warmed us as we headed back to the bus stop. We rode in silence a long way trying to figure out just what hjad happened at lunch.
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