I was shocked to see a beautiful young woman handing money to the homeless man who lives outside the local liquor store. He is filthy and his skin is tormented by some disease, covered in scabs and bleeding ruptures. I always hold my breath when I pass him, not only to spare myself the stench of his stool-packed trousers, but to avoid contracting whatever street-bred pathogens escape his toothless mouth as he mumbles his pleas for money which I always ignore. I hurried over to the young woman as she wished the homeless man well.
"Hello." I said to her.
She smiled at me and I pointed at the homeless man.
"Terrible thing to see isn't it?"
The homeless man looked up at me with watery, yellowed eyes. I held out some change and tried to drop it in his outstretched hand without actually touching him. The coins missed and fell on the ground. The young woman stared at me and I smiled.
"Looks like we have something in common," I said.
"What?" She asked.
I pointed at the wretch below us who was slowly gathering the fallen coins with his blistered fingertips.
"Being kind to the homeless," I said.
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