I've been to some big cities around the world and each one of them has it's own "aura". São Paulo is a mix of traffic, some cool buildings, very different kinds of people and A LOT OF things to do during its hot and rainy days (and nights). Some think downtown is a very dangerous site, but today I walked peacefully between homeless people, teenagers, tourists (I was asked "how can I go to this place" twice), owners of the restaurants talking in arab to each other, oxxos (only "paulistas" will understand that haha) and so on... but I regret not giving attention to a homeless (and very handsome) guy who asked me to buy him a snack. I was kind of lost (only some meters away from my destination) and it was raining a lot, and I stopped in front of a grocery store so I could look my phone for instructions. He then talked to me and asked me to buy him a snack from the store. For some seconds, we stared at each other. I could feel he was ashamed when I looked at him (I swear I was not judging him, I just looked at him because he said "hey, lady..."). I think that he's not been on the street for a long time, because his face was so nice (let me explain: in São Paulo, most of homeless people do drugs, and they usually loose their teeth and things like that, and someone with 25 years old look like 50). I think he felt shame because we recognised, in a way that we could be in the same places if he was not living on the streets. The same reataurants, the same neibourhoud, even the same dating app. We could drink a nice and cold beer in a cool place during a hot summer night. There's a bunch of theses places downtown, just some corners away from that grocery store. I don't know why, but these few seconds were enough to connect. Almost like falling in love. But... I said no, that I couldn't buy him the snack, and I just openned my umbrella and started walking to my destination (this building where I took the photo). Even so, I looked back and he was walking the same direction as me, but slowly. The rain got stronger and I had to stop beetween a group of men that seemed "his friends", I don't know. They were hiding from the rain under the awning of a building. I stayed there for 3 minutes, maybe more, thinking about that guy and full of regret. Why didn't I buy him that snack? Why didn't I start a conversation? I wanted to know everything about him. I wanted to help. But I ran away, even though I was not afraid or anything like that. I think I felt ashamed too, I don't know why. I hope we can meet once again, so I can say I'm sorry.
tangentwithtanner
annaxmalina
theartofmadeline
blakekathryn
turnnoffyourmind
prguitarman
izzy806
