Do you smoke?

 I went to have coffee with an acquaintance at the Tim Horton’s by the #1 Highway in Brandon.  After I parked, I saw this vagrant sitting on a ledge of sorts on the outside wall of the restaurant.  He greeted us in what I thought was a sullen manner.  The man being so near my car made me nervous so I sat where I could see my car.

I then noticed many of the customers were giving him money.  One man even gave him a donut he had bought in the restaurant.  This inspired me to give him some cigarettes from the pack that my Chinese neighbor had given me.  Especially seeing how I misjudged him.

So when we finished coffee, I walked out, opened the pack.  Do you smoke? I asked him.  He said he sure did. Do you want to try some Chinese cigarettes?  He said he did.  I looked and saw he had ten cigarette butts in the ground in front of him.  I gave him two and told him how I came to acquire them.

I then walked to the car.  I saw the man smoking one of the cigarettes. How is it? I asked.  He said not bad.  

As we drove off, he waved farewell to us.