How many times had I walked past him? It was so easy to turn a blind eye to the drifters that lined the street, but something drew my eye to him. Unlike the rest he sat straight and stared each passerby in the eye, showing no shame. The defiance toward his situation was not lost on me, but it was his sign that drew my attention.

5¢ wishes

I smiled at him, but I had a work meeting that I couldn’t be late for and I rarely carry any sort of cash money on me, who knew where it had been? With a hurried step I left him sitting on the sidewalk. He merely nodded and returned my smile. I was few steps away from him when I heard the commotion behind me.

Turning I saw three young men harassing the man.

“Wha’s this then?” one was shouting as he snatched the sign from the ground.

The man continued to smile and replied. “That’s my sign.”

A second boy laughed and kicked the man’s cup over, silver coins rolled across the concrete. “A nickel don’t buy much.”

The man didn’t move to gather the coins; instead, he reached out to the one that held the sign. “I’ll take that back if you please.”

“Give it back to him,” the third of the group pleaded. He had stayed back and was very uneasy after witnessing his friend’s actions.

“Come on, Tom, it’s just some fun,” laughed the first boy. When his friend continued to plead with him he sneered and tossed the sign back at the homeless man and turned. “Let’s get out of here.”

Tom hesitated as the other two started down the street. He stared at the old man and the knocked over cup. He fished in his pocket and tossed a quarter to the man before running to catch up to the others.

“Hey!” cried the old man.

The boy stumbled at the sound and looked over his shoulder.

“You gave too much! Don’t you want your change?”

Tom gaped at the old man and came back. “Change?”

The man nodded, his ill-fitting cap sliding off to reveal matted hair that hadn’t seen a cut in a long time. “They’re only five cents.”

“What are?”

“The wishes. The wishes are only five cents and only one wish per person. I can’t give you five.”

“I don’t want any wishes,” Tom replied.

“Everyone wants wishes, lad,” the man replied as he picked four nickels up from the pile and reached up, motioning for the boy’s hand. When Tom made no move to claim them, the man leaned forward and snatched his hand, pressing the coins into the palm. “Now think carefully, what do you wish for? Don’t waste it. You only get one.”

“I wish you would just take the quarter and leave me alone!” Tom shouted and tossed the coins to the ground and ran after the other boys.

"I can only do so much," the man sighed.