Are You Rich?
The answer may surprise you.
A fresh cup of hot chocolate and breakfast sandwich treat in hand, I leisurely made my way out of the neighborhood Starbucks coffee shop. As I approached the door, a harried woman rushed in. She approached me immediately and breathlessly asked, “Are your rich?”
Startled by this stranger, her question took me aback. Was I rich? Was I not rich? Regardless of the answer, what business was it of hers? Oh shit, I thought, she’s asking for money. I warily examined her more closely. She appeared to be in her early 50s, cleanly but modestly dressed in slightly out-of-date designer blue jeans and a simple top. She was carrying a binder and some papers and seemed somewhat disorganized. This Starbucks was in an affluent part of town, in a small boutique strip mall next to an upscale hair salon. This was no congested urban environment where one might expect to be approached by beggars.
After hastily weighing all of my possible responses and keeping a careful distance, I dryly stated, “No, I am not rich.”
Seemingly stunned by my response, she backed away looking confused. Thank God, I thought, she’s not going to escalate her demands. She’s not crazed or desperate.
The very next moment, an older bald man wearing frameless glasses walked in the door, quickly surveyed the room and approached her. His hand outstretched he said very business-like, “Hi, are you Martha? …… I’m Rich.” She responded formally, “Yes I am, nice to meet you, Rich.”
Still standing next to the mysterious Martha digesting our awkward exchange, I looked into her eyes anew. We both began to laugh with relief.
“Oh, you thought I was asking you….!” She exclaimed without disclosing our entire exchange to Rich.
“Yes, I’m so sorry”, I said, also not revealing too much to Rich.
She suddenly understood why I had been so cold responding to her and I realized she was no threat.
What I had heard Martha say was not what she meant. And what Martha had meant to say was not what I heard. It was no one’s fault. It’s part of the human experience and it happens all the time. We are all just people struggling to be understood, often misspeaking or not listening closely enough. Sometimes, we’re fortunate enough to break through our miscommunications and actually hear one another.
What I had heard Martha say was not what she meant. And what Martha had meant to say was not what I heard. It was no one’s fault. It’s part of the human experience.
Martha and Rich sat outside with their drinks, as Rich, a contractor, interviewed her for a part-time job opening he had. The short interview went well and Martha apparently got the job. I watched from a table nearby.
And on that bright sunny morning when I finally left Starbucks, my heart spoke the following words to me:
I am rich. Truly.
I am certainly not rich as my Rhode Island state pension COLA was stolen in 2012 by a campaign led by our current Secretary of Commerce. Actually I along with thousands of others are going in the reverse direction.