Once upon a time, in a busy city, there lived a generous man who made it his monthly mission to hand a beggar a crisp £1000. The beggar, who had long since stopped questioning his luck, treated this windfall like a sacred salary. He even started budgeting (mostly for snacks, but still, budgeting is budgeting).
One afternoon, the beggar opened his usual envelope and nearly dropped his sandwich. Only £750?! He frowned, scratched his head, and then shrugged. “Eh, better than nothing,” he mumbled and walked off.
The next month, disaster struck. The envelope contained a mere £500. This time, the beggar couldn’t ignore it. He marched up to his benefactor, eyes wide with panic. “Hold on, mate. First, it was £1000, then £750, and now it’s £500? What’s going on?”
The man sighed, clearly expecting this moment. “Well, you see, my children were young, and I was doing well financially. But then my daughter started university (and tuition is expensive) so I had to cut back a little.”
“Tuition?!” the beggar interrupted, scandalised. “You’re telling me MY money is funding YOUR kids’ education?”
“Uh, well, they’re my kids, so… yes?”
The beggar threw his hands in the air. “Unbelievable! How many do you even have?”
“Four,” the man admitted.
The beggar nearly fainted. “FOUR?! And you’re out here casually cutting my paycheck to send them all to school? At my expense?!”
The man blinked. “Your expense?”
“YES! I had PLANS, you know! Important investments! Like upgrading my sandwich choices!”
The man chuckled. “Look, mate, this was never a salary. It was a gift. A gesture of kindness. Life changes, and so do circumstances. That’s just how it is.”
The beggar stared, deep in thought. For the first time, it hit him, this man had never owed him anything. He had just gotten so used to it that he forgot to be grateful. With a deep sigh, he nodded. “Alright, fair point. But just so you know, I was this close to reporting you to HR.”
And so, life went on. The man continued helping where he could, and the beggar, well… he learned to appreciate the kindness he once took for granted. Though he never did quite forgive the universe for robbing him of his premium sandwich dreams.
