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More from Shane_Rufus
A video popped up on YouTube, showing Shane Rufus driving in his Range Rover, a typically broad grin on his face.
"Aight, you got the video going?"
"Yeah, I got it. The fuck are you doin'?" came a raspy voice, its source unseen.
"Check this out. I'm about to make this man's fuckin' day."
The window rolled down and the camera went to focus out the window, showing a disheveled ferret in a bandana and at least two coats, holding a small cardboard sign. In the darkness of the San Jose night, the exact words on it were hard to make out.
"Hey, fella, c'mere."
The ferret's brow furrowed. He didn't seem to recognize the wolf in front of him, and looked skeptical as to why he was being waved over.
Fang looked down at his lap, holding a small wad of bills. He counted them out, making sure the total was right. "Here man, thousand dollars," he said, holding the folded stack between two fingers and passing it over.
The ferret paused, his hand reaching out slowly, hesitantly, like he was expecting it to get pulled away again.
The red wolf chuckled. "Just take it, man, I ain't gonna go drivin' off."
The ferret's eyes went from the money to the canine, back and forth again. "You... you serious, man?"
Fang grinned. "Well yeah I'm serious, c'mon. It's all yours. Thousand bucks, my man."
It took a moment, but the mustelid's hand reached out and took the cash. He counted it. Then counted it again. He tried to smile, but it looked like his emotions were getting the better of him.
"Holy fucking... oh my god... th... thank you so... oh my god... are you serious??"
"Course I'm goddamn serious," the wolf said, reaching out to shake the ferret's hand, pulling him in toward the window briefly. If they'd been outside the vehicle it would have been an outright bro hug.
"God bless you, sir, god bless!!" the ferret said through wide, faintly shiny eyes.
The pair then drove away, with the one behind the camera laughing.
"Y'know Red, I wanna say that was good on ya, but you know he ain't gonna do nothin' good with that."
Eyes back on the road, Fang shrugged his broad shoulders.
"Yeah? What, like he's just gonna spend it on booze? Fuck, that's what I was just doin'. You know better'n I do that sometimes ya just need someone to give a shit about ya."
I had a moment today after I ran across a homeless guy on the road. I was getting my hair cut and picking up some beer (ended up with sake, actually) and on my way out I stopped and handed him what I had. It wasn't a thousand dollars, but he looked at me like he didn't believe that I was going to give it to him. I couldn't imagine what this man's life had been like that just a bit of kindness threw him so off guard. Soon as he took it, he folded his sign up and put it in his backpack and started walking away from where I saw him.
People might say I'm just encouraging him to panhandle more, or that I'm enabling a drinking/drug habit, or that he might be one of those guys you see on TV who pulls in fifty grand a year begging. You know what? I don't care. I'd rather risk losing some money on someone who shouldn't have gotten it than gone home knowing someone who desperately needed it was left in the cold.
With his backstory, I like to imagine that Fang never leaves someone homeless with empty pockets. He doesn't always drop a grand in their laps, but he always hands over a few bills. Not everyone got lucky enough. As John Bradford once said, "There, but for the grace of God, go I." For as close as the red wolf came to a life of abject poverty and desperation, I can't imagine he'd be able to ignore those around him who were exactly where he might have been if the stars hadn't lined up just right. The distance between wealth and poverty is rather short depending on starting position, after all.
In this case, I'm gonna say that, no, this poor guy didn't get mugged for it, there's no terrible ending. Maybe he didn't end up an investment banker, but maybe he got himself a cheap apartment and that enabled him to get a small time job. Sure, maybe he didn't turn into someone doing motivational speeches, but maybe his life did get turned around. He just needed someone to reach out. Maybe.
art c/o pac
"Aight, you got the video going?"
"Yeah, I got it. The fuck are you doin'?" came a raspy voice, its source unseen.
"Check this out. I'm about to make this man's fuckin' day."
The window rolled down and the camera went to focus out the window, showing a disheveled ferret in a bandana and at least two coats, holding a small cardboard sign. In the darkness of the San Jose night, the exact words on it were hard to make out.
"Hey, fella, c'mere."
The ferret's brow furrowed. He didn't seem to recognize the wolf in front of him, and looked skeptical as to why he was being waved over.
Fang looked down at his lap, holding a small wad of bills. He counted them out, making sure the total was right. "Here man, thousand dollars," he said, holding the folded stack between two fingers and passing it over.
The ferret paused, his hand reaching out slowly, hesitantly, like he was expecting it to get pulled away again.
The red wolf chuckled. "Just take it, man, I ain't gonna go drivin' off."
The ferret's eyes went from the money to the canine, back and forth again. "You... you serious, man?"
Fang grinned. "Well yeah I'm serious, c'mon. It's all yours. Thousand bucks, my man."
It took a moment, but the mustelid's hand reached out and took the cash. He counted it. Then counted it again. He tried to smile, but it looked like his emotions were getting the better of him.
"Holy fucking... oh my god... th... thank you so... oh my god... are you serious??"
"Course I'm goddamn serious," the wolf said, reaching out to shake the ferret's hand, pulling him in toward the window briefly. If they'd been outside the vehicle it would have been an outright bro hug.
"God bless you, sir, god bless!!" the ferret said through wide, faintly shiny eyes.
The pair then drove away, with the one behind the camera laughing.
"Y'know Red, I wanna say that was good on ya, but you know he ain't gonna do nothin' good with that."
Eyes back on the road, Fang shrugged his broad shoulders.
"Yeah? What, like he's just gonna spend it on booze? Fuck, that's what I was just doin'. You know better'n I do that sometimes ya just need someone to give a shit about ya."
I had a moment today after I ran across a homeless guy on the road. I was getting my hair cut and picking up some beer (ended up with sake, actually) and on my way out I stopped and handed him what I had. It wasn't a thousand dollars, but he looked at me like he didn't believe that I was going to give it to him. I couldn't imagine what this man's life had been like that just a bit of kindness threw him so off guard. Soon as he took it, he folded his sign up and put it in his backpack and started walking away from where I saw him.
People might say I'm just encouraging him to panhandle more, or that I'm enabling a drinking/drug habit, or that he might be one of those guys you see on TV who pulls in fifty grand a year begging. You know what? I don't care. I'd rather risk losing some money on someone who shouldn't have gotten it than gone home knowing someone who desperately needed it was left in the cold.
With his backstory, I like to imagine that Fang never leaves someone homeless with empty pockets. He doesn't always drop a grand in their laps, but he always hands over a few bills. Not everyone got lucky enough. As John Bradford once said, "There, but for the grace of God, go I." For as close as the red wolf came to a life of abject poverty and desperation, I can't imagine he'd be able to ignore those around him who were exactly where he might have been if the stars hadn't lined up just right. The distance between wealth and poverty is rather short depending on starting position, after all.
In this case, I'm gonna say that, no, this poor guy didn't get mugged for it, there's no terrible ending. Maybe he didn't end up an investment banker, but maybe he got himself a cheap apartment and that enabled him to get a small time job. Sure, maybe he didn't turn into someone doing motivational speeches, but maybe his life did get turned around. He just needed someone to reach out. Maybe.
art c/o pac
Category All / All
Species Unspecified / Any
Size 1279 x 1280px
File Size 306.1 kB
This really hits me. Growing up, my dad always taught me that when someone panhandles for money, you don't just not give them anything. You ignore them. As a kid, I saw him many times not even turn his head to someone asking for money, refusing to even recognize them. And he was adamant to me, that's what you should always do, every time, because those people had no right to slow down your business for anything.
It never felt right to me. I went to college in central Los Angeles, where there were regularly panhandlers on the walk from my apartment to classes. My first year, I did just as my dad taught me and refused to even look at anyone asking me for anything. But it just felt mean. So I started stopping and listening. Sometimes it was clear the guy was scamming, but every time there was appreciation that I would listen. So I kept listening, and sometimes even gave something.
I've never regretted it. I don't know what Shane would have been taught as a pup, but no matter what lessons he received, I see him understanding the pain of having too little, and the appreciation made from even a small gift. Certainly, considering the millions he's raked in with his career, far more than any ex-con wolf deserves, I can't see him being too tight with his money. And I'm sure that thousand dollars out of his paycheck is worth more to him in someone else's paws than in his own.
Great story, Shane, really liked this one a lot.
It never felt right to me. I went to college in central Los Angeles, where there were regularly panhandlers on the walk from my apartment to classes. My first year, I did just as my dad taught me and refused to even look at anyone asking me for anything. But it just felt mean. So I started stopping and listening. Sometimes it was clear the guy was scamming, but every time there was appreciation that I would listen. So I kept listening, and sometimes even gave something.
I've never regretted it. I don't know what Shane would have been taught as a pup, but no matter what lessons he received, I see him understanding the pain of having too little, and the appreciation made from even a small gift. Certainly, considering the millions he's raked in with his career, far more than any ex-con wolf deserves, I can't see him being too tight with his money. And I'm sure that thousand dollars out of his paycheck is worth more to him in someone else's paws than in his own.
Great story, Shane, really liked this one a lot.
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