From the Other Side
Today, I asked a total stranger for money, I think for the first time. Not a lot of money, 2 euros in fact, but it was quite a humbling experience.
The situation was as follows: I was already slightly late for a plane out of Porto’s Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport on the return from part of the Camino de Santiago (more on this in future posts), and had planned on taking the metro out to the airport, since I was told this was the most convenient way. Problem was, I had just before spent the remainder of my cash, planning to pay my metro-ticket by card.
I get to the metro, use the machine, 2 euros for a ticket to the airport – so far so good. This is where my troubles start. First, the machine would not take payment from my Visa-card. Figuring it was a glitch with the machine, I went to the ticket office, only to be told that the Porto metro does not have an arrangement with any international card companies, so I would have to either use a Portuguese card or pay in cash. Had I known this earlier, I would have had no trouble having 2 euros on me at that point for various reasons, but again, I had planned to use my cards to pay for that ticket. I felt rather frustrated that I had to take out cash again – paying a 5-euro fee – only to pay a 2-euro ticket, not to mention the time-crunch.
I look at the time, and it’s getting dangerously late past the time I had planned to leave for the airport. Granted, I always have more safety margin than most, but then again, I was in a town I did not know at all, with a language I did not speak at all, and having spent some time earlier on getting into the town centre, which was not a trivial thing.
I walk out, start looking for an ATM, and see none. I see two people who look to be likely to speak some English – a man and a woman, probably mid-thirties, who seem rather urban in their appearance.
I approach the couple – I assumed they were a couple first, though later I got the feeling they weren’t – and ask the man if he speaks English. He confirms, is quite friendly, and I ask him where I can find an ATM. He thinks a bit then points to a couple of streets down. I think at that point the whole time-thing had got me so panicked, plus the ridicule of taking out a 10-euro note – with fees – to pay for that ticket, that I ask the man: ‘I’m really sorry to ask this of you, but I only need 2 euros for a ticket to the airport’. I don’t remember exactly what line followed after, but it was probably something along the lines if he could possibly spare that.
The man looks at me – sunglasses and suddenly a rather startled look on his face – in disbelief. He seems very surprised, and almost displays a suppressed outrage. He answers something along the lines of ‘well … that’s not my … I don’t have 2 euros’. He then starts telling me that there are like 10 banks down the street if I only go a few streets down. It’s not overt, but it seems rather clear he doesn’t buy my story, and that he just wants to point me to the nearest ATM asap and get rid of me – quite possibly to continue his conversation with the woman. Though I’m not quite fixed with the cronology, I think I added at this point that the train company would only take Portuguese cards.
At this point I’m pretty sure the hopelessness of the situation is emanating from my face, and I mutter something along the lines of ok, thanks, and start turning to find a bank.
Then the woman starts talking. She asks if I have time to reach my plane then. I don’t think I even register it consciously at that point, but in retrospect, it was such a breath of fresh air to have someone who actually takes my story at face value break into the conversation. I don’t remember what I answered, but I think I displayed frustration again over only needing 2 euros and having to find ATM’s and go through that whole thing. This could have been the time I told them about the cards as well. The woman thinks only briefly, and then says she has a metro-card that should have enough credit on it to get me to the airport.
The guy did not seem to appreciate this turn of events, and started looking decidedly frustrated. Thinking they were a couple, I took the cue and said it didn’t matter, I’d just find an ATM. She insisted, however, it was no trouble, in fact, she had 2 euros that I could have as well as the card. That way, the ticket would be cheaper – 1,5 euros – since an extra 0,5 euros is paid for the chip-card. So the woman gives me the travel-card – and the 2 euros, in spite of my objections due to not wanting to displease the guy. I take it, not knowing what else to do. And frankly, it solved a big problem for me. So there I am, from having nothing and having little time to get to the airport, to suddenly having all I needed to get there, due to the trust and kindness of a complete stranger.
I called this post ‘from the other side’, since I am rather more used to being on the side of the road where I’m asked for money as I pass by people. Do we believe people who have a good story to tell and wants money for a ticket? I certainly had my doubts a few months ago when I paid a not too expensive train ticket for a couple of girls at 2am on a train station, where they claimed their Visa-card had suddenly stopped working. Are we generous enough to meet their needs anyways? I have an inkling feeling that even if she hadn’t bought my story, that woman might have still given me those 2 euros, and that guy may not have, even if he did believe I was in that fix. Of course, those 2 euros were ultimately my responsibility, but that’s not the point. The point is that I had a real need for them, and due to the kindness of a stranger, I was saved from a lot of hassle, and possibly – or at least so it seemed at the time – a missed plane.
The experience also left me feeling a bit weird as I sat on the train. I almost had the feel and posture of a beggar accepting money as I took the 2 euros and thanked the woman. It definitely did something to my pride to have to ask someone for that. I am not sure that’s a bad thing, under the circumstances. I most certainly did not want to go back when I found out that I did not need the travelcard she gave me after all, but it seemed like the right thing to do. It seemed strange approaching those two people again, expecting one to await me coming to up the take, while the other to openly await what I had to say.
The ironic part of the story is that as I’m sitting at the airport writing this, I just found out Portugal runs on GMT, as opposed to Spain where I traveled from this morning, so I was altogether an hour too early in the first place.. 
In any case, the story and its content at the time is no less real.
I will keep that ticket as a reminder. To the stranger, whoever you are, I thank you. This made my day!
Add comment juli 7th, 2011