Gift from God

No, I am not taking about men, though sometimes men think they are a gift to everyone. But my story is about a man.

I was desperate for a cold diet coke to enjoy with my lunch. My only option was to head three blocks down to the mall and buy a soda at one of the many options at the food court or go 10 feet out the door of my office to the corner liquor store. If I went down to the mall, I'd probably buy a whole entire lunch for $15 and not eat what I brought, thereby not saving any money. Plus, I would be forced to shop at mall, again, not helping save any money. 

 

I was a little hesitant since that particular store appears to be a hotbed for local activities. A typical day may include a customer (if you can call them that) running out of the store with a bottle of booze and the owner chasing him down the street yelling "hey, you have to pay for that, you pay me"! Dude, you are not getting your money, the "thief's" shoes are constructed of old sneakers and duct tape. I am pretty sure he needs to beer more than you don't need the money. Other activities at this corner store include the locals getting into screaming matches and 9 times out of 10, the police have to show up to break it up. I'm not too keen on venturing over there and getting in that mix.

Anyways, the desire for a soda was too great, so I mustered up the courage to walk over and entered the store. I didn't need a password, no secret handshake or cover charge. There were a few folks grabbing snacks and some should have bought soap or toothpaste but we'll just overlook that. I grabbed what I needed and got in line. As I waited a gentlemen (eheh) came up behind me. His cane knocked my leg and he mumbled an apology, so I looked back at him.  I guess that was all the opening he needed to strike up a conversation.  He smiled and I smiled back. He had a gnarly looking black eye and some recent scrapes on his face. It's a good thing he had the cane, because he was swaying back and forth.

 

"My name is Mathias, it means gift from God" he slurred.  I said "that's cool, my brother and stepson are both named Matthew and I have heard about that meaning before". Mathias then said, "I love God, he is good. He helped me get sober". I said, "Well, that's great" as I looked at the counter where he rested his 40 ounce of beer...