“Businessman”

Riding the train regularly to & from work, I often see this feeble looking man past his 50′s, lean as a pencil, trying to make a “decent” living. His business: selling alkaline batteries. Wearing thick frail glasses and dressed in ragged clothing, he labels himself a “businessman” infront of the inattentive crowd while announcin’ the stock he carries in his beltpack.

“Dollar batteries… Duracell AA, AAA batteries, I got ‘em!” cried the man, warily peeking & walking around to see if anyone in the car (specifically passengers with headphones on) is in need of his merchandise. Then, when an implicit apathy is apparent, which is likely in most cases, he silently waits to exit at the next stop hoping for a better luck in the next car.

Some job right? I have an incredibly great respect for the guy despite of his demeaning profession. Imagine yourself in his shoes (which was also literally worn out probably from walking all day), exhausted & possibly overworked just to put food on the table and yet people (of diverse classes) are insolently amused with his misfortune.

Coming home from work one time, I saw him holding the closing doors (with his hands full) for people trying to beat the rush hour traffic. So, I don’t know who’s a better person. Sometimes, it’s just the other way around: The less educated can sometimes be the “better” person.