Bosnians

[poliphilo]

A young woman comes to the door. She's wearing a headscarf and an ankle-length skirt. It's not entirely beside the point that she's pretty.

"No Muslim?" she asks. I guess she's been told that this is a Muslim street.

"No, I'm not a Muslim," I say.

She bows from the waist, hands held together as if in prayer,  then extends one hand, open,  with a pound coin lying on the palm. She says other things- mostly in a foreign language- out of which I pick the one word "Bosnian".

As I turn to go back into the house to fetch her what she wants I see another young woman, similarly dressed, on the pavement behind her.

I give her a coin. She bows again and says, "God bless you."  I say, "God bless you too."

Ailz, who has been watching from an upstairs window tells me that there's a whole gang of them going house to house. 

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

You should have taken the coin and said thanks very much :-).
Tom F

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Heh, heh, heh....

[veronica-milvus.livejournal.com]

You report this very dispassionately. What do you actually think of what she was doing?

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I don't know. I really don't. To form anything like a true opinion I'd have to have background information. My rule of thumb with beggars is, "if in doubt, give".

I'm a soft touch.

[(Anonymous)]

Hindsight is, as they say, 20:20. If I knew there was a gang of them "doing" the street the cynic in me would say that looks like an easy way to make money :p.
If I didn't know that then I'm not sure what I would think.
Perhaps you should have followed her home and scoped her pad out. Or better still, dress up a bit dishevelled and knock on her door with a coin in your hand. See what she does when the tables are turned..
Tom F

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Beggars make me feel guilty. Giving them something eases that guilt. Peace of mind is worth a little loose change. :)

[daisytells.livejournal.com]

I expect you will be seeing more of them from now on. They pass the word along.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Yes, indeed.

I saw a lot of beggars when I was a priest....