This 53-year old homeless man, Peeta, would come into my store (Footaction) almost everyday. I believe that he lived on one of the benches by the mall. So he would always come in, and the only stores he would look at were the shoe stores. I looked down on his feet, as you can see, he was wearing ratty old moccasins that did not fit him anymore. Everytime he would come in, I would talk to him about his life and all of the things we love about sneakers. I was so tempted to steal a pair and give them to him, but he would not let me. I told him that he could pick any shoe in the store he wanted and I would get it for him. The thing he said to me was “No thank you, son. You cannot risk your job just to make another person smile. You are a very nice boy though.”. After he said that to me, he walked out of the store. Later as the day went on, I couldn’t get him out of my mind. When the store was about to close, I bought a pair of Jordan Olympic 7’s with my own money. I went outside, and searched for him for 3 hours, until I finally found him sleeping near an old abandoned movie theatre. I placed the sneakers in his right arm, so when he would wake up he would find them. The next day, I went to work hoping to see the old man. I came just in time. It was approximately 8 in the morning, and he walked up to me and he gave me the biggest hug and he was crying. I’ve never felt something so good in my life. You truly do not understand what it feels like to be happy until you give something to someone less fortunate than you, without them having to ask for it. I will never forget Peeta, the dear old homeless man.
