75 cents

The last day in Boston was the only day that had good weather (more pics to come). So, being the hard-working girl that we all know and love, I took the subway to Harvard station and walked around the Harvard campus for a while.

I stopped for lunch at one point, and had my salad while watching people play chess on some tables outside the cafe. Two or three old people advertised 2$ matches. I do suppose that for those two dollars they would kick your ass in two seconds flat. I say this because I saw one of them arrange the pieces according to some picture in a book, and then closing the book and proceeding to play the whole thing by himself, like a true pro planning to do this the whole day.

Anyhow, one of the old guys was beating the hell out of a very young boy, there with his whole class (apparently some robotics competition at the University of Boston). The old man with the book was free so this homeless guy approaches him. I say he was homeless by the way he was dressed and by his shoes, but in retrospect he was smoking a cigarette which would suggest at least some money right?

Anyhow, the homeless guy reaches into his pocket and takes out a fist-full of coins. He counts them slowly, swaying from side to side. Points his palm to the old guy sitting at the table.

"I have only 75 cents", he says.

The old man nods him to sit down. He then asks the homeless guy something, I suppose to the effect of his chess proficiency.

"I, I ... I think too much", answers the homeless guy. [at this point i freaked out because i was just taking his picture, see below]

And they proceed to play.



I do not know what impressed me: the massive discount, or the fact that a homeless guy would spend all his money on a game of chess. Maybe this is just Harvard, maybe it's in the water ...