The boy who wanted me to buy a rose

He followed me around trying to sell me a beautiful red rose.When he refused to take 'no' for an answer, I took refuge from his persistence by getting into the car. He pressed against the window without giving up on me but I ignored his pleas to buy a rose from him or even as he proposed, to take the rose from him as a friend and give something in return for the friendship. I turned to talk to my friend in the car despite his relentless pleading. Then I heard a loud bang on the car door and what I saw really broke my heart. Instead of the lively picture of a little boy I saw a figure with head hung low looking scared and standing a distance from the car. For a moment I thought that our driver had hit him because I saw him pointing at the car window and then angrily at the boy. He was not a beggar and I had associated him with one. He was just a kid trying to make a living. I had hurt his dignity and in refusing to have any dealings with him for fear that giving him money in exchange would attract hordes of others like him, I caused him to lose his beautiful smile. The world is poorer for the sudden disappearance of a beautiful smile and I was poorer for my city mentality and failure to appreciate the joy of giving and receiving a humble red rose.