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Playing the Pauper

FROM
Break Out: Finding Freedom
When You Don't Quite Fit The Mold
James R. Hasse

"The easiest person to deceive is one's own self."
Edward Bulwer-Lytton, The Disowned

"I've got 84 cents," I sheepishly told the fellow in a Hardee's shirt behind the counter. "What can I buy for that?" It was 2:30 in the afternoon. My stomach felt hollow. I needed some cholesterol and caffeine to keep me going.

His name badge read, "Ned," and it hung crooked from the pocket of his shirt, which was too big for his slender frame. He glanced awkwardly at my crutches, turned around and looked at the menu overhead. "Well, there's the 59-cent cheeseburger," he said in a squeaky voice. "And, that's about all...."

Garish menu boards always seem confusing to me. "What's a carton of white milk?"

"49 cents."

Milk is expensive, I thought.

"How about a small Coke?" I mumbled, thinking that would be cheaper.

"59 cents."

Maybe milk is not such a bad deal. "Just give me the cheeseburger," I finally said, satisfied that it would get me through the afternoon.

"What does he want?" I overheard Gert quietly ask Ned as she suddenly appeared behind the counter. She wore thick bifocals and a brown and orange cap over her gray hair.

[Continued On Next Page: Click Here]

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