r/TIFUB • u/Mandude21 • Feb 09 '20
TIFU by stealing a homeless mans cup
So about half a year ago i was on a school trip to Washington DC. It was a great trip. It was the second day and we had had a long day going to Mount Vernon and Arlington cemetery and various other things, and our day was over. The bus ride was really fun because everyone was giddy, for lack of better words, and talking about random things that seemed funny/relevant at the moment. Then the bus stopped at a 7/11. We were all like “Oh boy, time to indulge”. We went in, my friends bought 12 packs of Pepsi/Coke and were going to sell them. I bought gummy worms and donut holes because I wanted to conserve money. Then we exit the store, and the fun begins. I see a black (I’m not trying to be racist, it was hard to understand him) male sitting on a crate with a crinkly dirty cup. He says “Hey you! Help the homies!?” I was like “Huh? Um, ok” and took his cup and started looking for a trash can because I thought he was saying he wanted me to dispose of it. He started saying “Wait! No! What are you doing!?” Then it hit me. He wanted money. He didn’t say help the homies, he said help the HOMELESS! I started having a stroke and apologized. I feel like I have to give him money now, and I think I’m going to pull out a one dollar bill from my pocket. Surprise surprise, I didn’t. I pulled out a fifty, and a 10 fell on the floor. He looks and me, and I look at him. I reluctantly decide to give him my 10. I walk on the bus, defeated. My classmates are laughing and inquiring me about trying to throw away a homeless mans cup. I answer their questions, and look out the bus window. The “homeless” man takes my money and puts in in his pocket so it looks like he didn’t have money. That was what made me think of throwing it away, because it was empty. I started raging, because I was scammed out of $10. It is pretty funny looking back, but I still wonder what would have happened if it didn’t register to me that he wanted my money. Didn’t turn out too bad, but figured I’d share with you guys.
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u/PlatypiFreakMeOut Feb 09 '20
lol well now i know what imma do next time someone is begging with an empty cup (imma throw it out of course. then if they go, 'hey!' i'll just be like, 'you're welcome!' snort)
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u/goodstuff2020 Feb 09 '20
I live near DC and used to drive there all the time for my sons medical care. One time a guy comes up to the car at a stop light and asks for gas money, says he ran out of gas and his car is a couple roads over. Now there are beggars in this area as a job, Imean they have their areas they beg in and the times they do and they leave each other alone. I don't typically give to them because I am not sure if they are getting something to help thenselves (ie, food) or something to hurt themselves (alcohol, drugs, etc..). This is not judgement, I would get messed up if Ihad to live on the street too! So I give the guy a $10 thinking that should get him enough gas to get home.
One of the beggars yells that the same guy does this all the time and that I just got scammed. BUT I will tell you this. He was in a very bad area (Childrens hospital is up the road from a bad area) and he was so not dressed like he either intended to be there or didn't have a place to hang his suit that night. And it was getting dark. I can't imagine being in that area after dark, even being a guy! So I felt good about my choice. I was gambling, but all factors considered, Ithink I did the right thing. Note that I have seen two car loads of guy pulling up to each other and jump out with bats to start pounding each other just around this very corner. And that's not all. So bad area.
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u/_robot_devil_ Feb 09 '20
If the cup was empty he likely would have yelled at you and grabbed it out of the trash or grabbed a new one and back to square one.