i only give to gucci

i live in chicago. i expect to see people along the streets, holding their signs explaining that god will bless me if i give them my spare change. i'm used to seeing the vietnam vet with his matted hair, dingy clothes and limp, hoping for my dollar. but today's panhandler takes the cake.

each day i come to the intersection of sheridan and hollywood. the multitude of lights almost guarantee that i'll be sitting for a while. i've noticed a few times, a middle-aged lady walking between the lines of cars with her neatly folded sign reading 'spare change'. she always seems well dressed, much different from others with their tattered and torn clothing and dirt-covered faces. today, however, was a slightly different story. no, there wasn't an inch of dirt or tear in her clothes. instead, it was even better.

this lady, with her highlighted hair pulled back in a tight braid, walked between the cars as usual. unfolding her sign to reveal her request for loose change, i noticed her nice capris, a rather expensive looking jacked and WHAT? is that seriously a prada bag over your shoulder? and you want spare change?!

a wild assumption would lead me to believe that if you're asking for spare change you wouldn't be able to afford your highlights and nice clothing. and definitely not your prada bag!

c'mon lady! make it look real!