Fiction Friday - Beggars Can't Be Choosy

Beggars Can't Be Choosey

"Another donation." Shara muttered under her breath while poking through the large metal bin purposely left outside the back door of the agency. "More stuff the rich recycle for the poor.

She launched into her sarcastic beggars-can't-be-choosey diatribe as she lifted items out of the bin. "This metal garbage can only has a few dents and the handle is missing from the lid. If some poor person doesn't have a garbage can, they'll be glad to get this one, even with the dents!"

Shara laughed - the forced kind of laughter she used to mask her anger as she ditched stained onesies, a pair of ripped canvas sneakers and a frying pan with most of the non-stick coating worn off. With a loud huff, she smashed the lid down on the bin.

Next to the bin was a big box of donated cans and old boxes of cereal. "This isn't even supposed to be here. Do people want to attract rats?"

Shara fished out a half-used bag of sugar and snorted in disgust. "Well, if someone is so poor they can't buy sweetener for their cereal, this will be a real treat."

"Humph! I'd be ashamed to offer a dog leftovers and expired food like that." She trundled the sugar and the rest of the outdated food to the dumpster at the back of the lot.

She locked the door behind her as she returned to her desk, grumbling to any of her co-workers who would listen about how wasteful people were now-a-days and how inconsiderate they were to offer their castoffs to others simply because the recipients were "poor."

Back at her desk, she settled down and dug in her pockets for two quarters. "Boy could I use a pick-me-up right about now." The snack machine still had her favorite candy bars for 50 cents.

Realizing her pockets were empty, she checked her desk drawers. "No, I guess I spent those two quarters last week and forgot to replace them."

She picked up her designer bag and began rummaging for her change purse. That too came up empty with only 2 pennies and some lint. "Uh-oh. I guess I'm broke 'til payday tomorrow."

In a last ditch effort to satisfy her cravings, she turned her purse upside down, dumping the contents onto her desk. Still no change.

As she swept her makeup bag back into the purse, she found a half-eaten chocolate bar deposited there by her four-year-old daughter during church two Sundays ago. It was a little mangled and linty on one end where the paper had been ripped, but otherwise intact. Triumphantly she held it up and grinned. "Can't let this go to waste. It's chocolate!"

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To read more great short stories, visit our hostess Betsy for Fiction Friday today at her site Just Another Clay Pot. Scroll down and click on the other authors names to read their offerings today and be sure to leave a comment to let them know you were there!

If you've written one you'd like to share, place your URL in the Mr. Linky box on Betsy's site.

Happy reading and writing!