Walking down Claymore Avenue in the middle of town, Leonard and Jake wandered out of a movie in the slightly dazed way movie-goers do. Cloudy and past freezing cold, they huddle under their scarves. Through a muffled mouth, Jake says, "Great flick. What was your favorite part, Len?"
Leonard repositions his shoulders in hopes of keeping in the warm. "I'd have to say when she finds out who killed him. Joan Wicker can really bring down those dramatic scenes."
Nodding in agreement, Jake rambles on about the style of acting. "Beautiful, just so well done. Come on, walk faster, we're late for curfew." The two young medical students walk side by side in the biting, bitter air.
Streetlights, headlights and plaza lights guide their way on the concrete walk. "It's nice to see this square hasn't changed since I left for that damned academy." Lenny remarks, smiling under a dark blue neck warmer.
As they find their way back to the car, they pass a man on the curb. Jake rounds a bend then turns to talk to his companion to find his friend is gone. Turning back around the corner he spots Leonard. "Come on, we got to go!"
"Wait, Jake."
Len reaches into his back jean pocket and with faux leather fingers pulls out a wallet. A crisp bill slides out of the holder and blue eyes meet chilled ones, but warm on the inside nonetheless.
He gently puts it into the old coke cup and gives the man adorned in little more than a sweater a kind smile. "God bless you," the man says with a half tooth grin.
"Have a nice night." Leonard nods to him before catching pace with Jake and stuffing his wallet back into his denim pants.
"Why'd you do that?" Jake asks, truly wondering.
"Because it's so cold out, Jake." Len replies softly. "We're all human and it's right."
A/N: This was kind of a minific that I had to write because of something that happened tonight. I'd gone to see a movie with a few other people and there was a man at the door who was asking for money. He said it was his birthday.
My friends passed him with others that bustled through the doors, but suddenly just felt my legs stop and I reached in to my purse and searched for my wallet. I pulled out a dollar and placed it in the cup.
Afterwards I asked myself why I did that because I genuinely wanted to know. It was simply instinct, and I guess it was just right. It was fourteen degrees out tonight and where as I have a warm bed to retire to, that poor man might not even have a frozen park bench.
We're all human and it's right to lend a hand to someone who has less than us. Not for pride, for guilt, for afterlife (or whatever else you believe in) and certainly not for bragging rights. Just do it because it's just right. It's so cold outside, but have a warm soul.