The rich man and the poor man

 

There once was a very rich man. He was so rich, he could have owned many cars, but instead he chose to drive a Ford. He could have owned many computers, but instead he chose an Apple. He could have owned many homes, but instead he chose to live in East LA. Because this man was rich, many people in his neighborhood knew him. And also because the man was rich, many people from outside of his neighborhood knew him too. Often, his doorbell would ring, and there on his threshold would stand someone who had come to ask for a donation1). Sometimes when the bell rang, it was a neighbor who had fallen into misfortune. The man would smile, embrace his neighbor, and place a generous sum into their hand. Sometimes when the bell rang, it was a charity2) representing the starving children of Africa. The man would again smile, embrace the charity worker, and write a generous check. 

One evening, when his doorbell was particularly quiet, this man decided to take a stroll. He headed off, idling along wherever the road wound. Every once in a while, a car passed, thumping out the latest rage in rap hit, and he soon found himself whistling one of these catchy3) tunes to himself. Lost in the tune, he came suddenly upon a homeless bum lying in the midst of the side-walk. The bum wore a tattered sweater and ripped pants. He had shoes, but they didn’t even match. And oh. The smell. I can’t even describe that to you here because it would ruin your Thanksgiving dinner. Well, this unfortunate soul lying on the street saw the man and knew him. Certainly, the bum said to himself. This is the rich man who lives on the lane. Surely he can help me, for he has money at his disposal. But instead of reaching out his hand, the bum was overcome by a sudden bout of shame and hid his face. The man stood over this tattered figure. He reached down and touched the bum’s cheek, but the bum shrank away from him even further. The man’s eyes clouded slightly and he cracked a weak smile. Forgetting the tune he once whistled, the man slowly turned and walked back to his home. 

Upon hearing the man retreat beyond the corner, the bum opened his eyes and sat up. There at his feet lay a crisp4) ＄100.00 dollar bill. The bum grabbed the money and made a beeline for the nearest 7/11. Like all bums, this one’s first thought was to go blow the money on vodka5). What a bum.

But, before he entered the store, he remembered the compassion of the man’s touch. This inspired him, and the bum decided then and there to turn his life around. The bum promptly bummed two dimes off an old lady. “Well. ”the lady replied. “You ain’t gonna spend this on alcohol?”The bum shook his head and stuck the money into the slot6) of the nearest telephone. His broker answered and the bum said, “Hundred dollars. Invest it all in that company with the name Microsoft.”Since this was, as it turns out, the late-1980s, it took only a short while before the stock skyrocketed, and the bum found himself very well off indeed.