What's the Magic Word?

Greetings Readers

I know that this is will come to you as no surprise. Or you may even say what’s new, since I act like this every now and then.

I have been in a mood lately. Not sure what kind of mood. I have been cranky, but happy. I have a smile on my face and happy as a child, yet I am waiting. Perhaps hoping that someone will set me off so I can argue or get pissed off. I can only surmise that this sort of mood is because of the change of weather or just the time of the year. I do not know the reason why.

I have been telling people that when they ask how I am doing. I have no reason not to not them. I am pretty honest and forward on how I feel. After all it is more often than not that they have asked the million-dollar question to me. Whereas, I will more often than not leave you alone since I want to be left alone most mornings until I feel like talking. It is not because I need a Coca-Cola to start my day first, or get to work first. My morning more often than not is my time. I like the mornings that belong to me.

With all that said I was at King Soopers in Cherry Hills the other day and I was needing to buy some more Coca-Cola. That was the only goal for going to King Soopers.

As I got done with shopping I went to my bike and I see a person sitting on the bench that I locked my bike up to. He turns his head to me and then spots my 24 pack of Coca-Cola.

When I got near my bike and him I could smell his B.O. and immediately saw he most likely was a homeless person, a vagrant. I saw his state of dress and the condition of clothing. He was also talking to himself, or perhaps mumbling.

“Hey can I have a Coke?” He asks me

I turn and look at him through my Oakley’s and look at him for about 5 seconds or so and say calmly “I don’t know can you?”

He looks at me startled and does not say a thing at all.

I then say softly “What’s the magic word?”

He again looks at me kind of like “what the hell did I do to you” scared look.

I say softly “Please”

“Can I please have a Coke?” he then asks of me.

“See. That’s all you have to say.”

I slowly rip open the side of the Coca-Cola and pull a can out for him and then hand the can of Coke to him. He immediately opens the Coke and takes a drink.

I say to him “And?”

He looks at me startled.

I say to him “Thank you.”

He repeats “Thank you”

And I immediately reply “Your welcome”

Was I an ass? Perhaps. But with my upraising I was told to add the word Please and to say Thank You should I ever request something from someone. Perhaps this is a Southern thing since I rarely see this sort of thing of residents born and raised in Colorado. Again, I do not know. In my view I was not an ass, I just want to hear please and thank you and not just the word “Can.” I could have been an ass, in my opinion after saying, “can you?” Where I was raised when I ask, “Can I” my teachers would respond, “Can you?” then I would have to say “May I.” “Can you” is asking a question that is asking can you when in fact “May you” is the proper grammar to use when asking for something.

Obviously, this is all speculation. This sort of thing that I invoke on other people may be the way I was raised being in the upper class of society.

Who knows really. Why I bring this up is that I did not think twice about not giving up a can of Coca-Cola to someone I do not know. After all, I had 24 hours cans of Coca-Cola and lately I have been in a mood. So, with me doing a good deed, in my mind, I was offsetting the “other” mood I have been in.

Before any of you Readers pass judgment you need to think how you might have reacted to this situation. I do take responsibility that there could have been a whole different scenario that could have played out if I was not in this current mood that I am in. I am not indicating that I am better or worse than you Readers, but thought to share this moment in my life.

Until the next time

Daryl Charley
The Fallen Athlete