HUNGRY FOR PENNIES

[Man sits on a milk crate against a wall. He is near enough to an subway entrance to catch the commuters coming and going. He holds a mostly empty cup.]

MAN

Excuse me sir. Pardon me, ma’am, can you spare some change? No?

Could you spare a few coins, miss? I- I could really use a meal

Alright well have a wonderful day, miss.

[The man reaches out and grabs three coins, which the woman dropped while passing.]

MAN

Oh, uh excuse me miss! Excuse me. Excuse me!

[The man stands, and gestures to the coins.]

MAN

HEY, LADY. I’M TRYING TO GIVE YOU BACK YOUR MONEY!

[He grabs her arm roughly, attempting to get her attention. He lets go quickly, looking surprised by his actions.]

MAN

Don’t be frightened, don’t be frightened Miss. I just- how often does someone chase you down the street trying to give you money, right? (He laughs, and notices that she doesn’t) I, (pause) I believe you dropped these coins. Here, take them. They’re yours. Maybe you can spend them on a side of fries or a Sprite, or, oh I’m sorry, is fast food too low for you? I mean for God’s sake, lady, if you can afford to drop money behind you without a second thought, treat yourself to a steak! A steak...

Do you know? I see you every day. Do you even see me? Every day you clamber up those subway steps, you run a hand through your beautiful hair, you check your smartphone, you turn and you tell me that you don’t have any change for me. Look at these quarters. You people leak money, but there’s never enough for me. There will never be enough for me.

How, though? Tell me how. Tell me how you can trot your way to get lunch, passing me and never looking back. Are you so saturated with pocket change that in your eyes it’s valueless? I had money once. I remember. When I had money, I kept a jar of pennies on my desk and never touched them. Why bother? I couldn’t see how anyone would value something so crushingly inconsequential. Can you not see, lady? Can you not see the hunger in my eyes? I’m hungry for food, I’m hungry for those pennies. (pause) Can you not see? Or is it what you see? Is it my appearance? Do I frighten you? When my chapped palms reach up from the ground, does it startle you? Or am I just another lazy, panhandling addict, looking for my next fix? You wouldn’t want to enable me, would you? God forbid. Well I may not smell it, but I’m clean, lady. Do you know? I taught. History. I was a professor. I never touched a narcotic in my life. I don’t even drink.

Even now.

So I’m not an addict. There’s no excuse there. I’m probably a criminal, though, right? You’d probably just be funding my next underhanded misdemeanor. I’m not evil, lady, I’m just poor! You have no excuse not to help me. YOU HAVE NO EXCUSE NOT TO HELP ME.

No excuse.

But look at me. Look at me. Screaming my head off like a lunatic. Look at me. I’m shaking.

I’m sorry- I…

I’ve scared you.

[The man looks up, looking for her eyes. She is gone.]

MAN

Look at me. I just want you to see me. I lived my life right. I went to school. I did my job. This is what I get.

[The man looks down at the coins in disgust, and tosses them as far away as he can.]