I knew what would follow would be a plea for money. And yes, he definitely needed money. But I couldn’t even look him in the eye, let alone talk to him. I turned away quickly, down a side street and ignored his continuous shouts in my direction.
Within minutes, I felt horrible. “Why didn’t I just respond to him?” I thought. “I didn’t need to give him money. I could have just spoken to him.” But even speaking to him, in that moment, seemed impossible. Why? Why did I completely ignore a perfectly polite street boy?