Shaun

So there I was hitch-hiking across the country, hungry, tired, and nearly broke. I was seeking out the true face of America, making my own personal journey to find myself as well as a deeper meaning to life. I got dropped off in a major west coast city in southern California. I asked around where I could find a metro bus station, found out where it was, and headed that way to try and catch a ride to the city limits. When I arrived there was a woman and three of her children waiting for their bus. The woman was talking on a cell phone and I overheard bits of the conversation. What I gathered from what I heard was that she was placing a call to a family member and asking for help to get her kids breakfast that morning, since they hadn't eaten that day yet. After she hung up the phone, I could tell whoever was on the other end of the line wasn't going to help her. She was out of options and appeared angry and sad. Not wanting to sound nosy, I wasn't sure if I should offer any assistance for fear it may embarrass her - a complete stranger poking into her life at a sensitive time. Something told me to throw caution to the wind and do what I could for this family. I had around seven or eight bucks left in my wallet, and no means of getting anymore cash for myself until I stumbled across an opportunity for temporary day labor somewhere along my journey. I turned to the woman and told her that I'd like to buy her children something to eat if she wouldn't mind my offer. She was thankful and wasn't at all upset that I overheard her plight. She pointed out a grocery store down the road and we all walked over. I told her how much I had to spend and let her kids go ahead and pick out the items they wanted- some pastries and a couple bottles of juice, and a few bags of potato chips for later. I paid for the food which was just about the rest of my money, wished her and her family well, and headed for the next town.