To the Complete and Total Asshats at Orient Expressed Imports

This morning, I walked outside my house to go to work and found that my car had been totaled by some kid driving his father's Lexus. He had to swerve across a lane of oncoming traffic to get to my little 15-year-old Toyota parked against the curb. The left front fender is just gone, along with the part of the engine behind it.

An hour later, I walked up to Magazine St. I was numb, I was freaking out, and I still needed to get to work. The Magazine bus travels the 2.5 miles up from my house to where I needed to go. I'm now late for work, and I have absolutely no idea how I'm going to get through the next weeks without a car. It's the freakin' Christmas season. My parents live up in Hammond. I have work during the week at a place that does not have a nice direct bus line. I am, in short, completely screwed and very, very cold.

I reach the bus stop and find that I have 11 cents. I was planning to go by the ATM on the way to work. There is no ATM now in the immediate vicinity. I am literally shaking with cold because I didn't think about how cold I'd be back at my house, I have 11 cents, the Magazine bus (of course) is in sight and coming towards me. I think about begging the bus driver to let me on the bus anyway or begging the people on the bus to help me put $1.25 together with spare change.

Instead, I think, "Hey, there's a store across the street." I have passed by ORIENT EXPRESSED IMPORTS at 3905 MAGAZINE ST. phone number (504) 899-3060‎ many times and smiled at the workers through the window. I thought that I could explain my embarrassing situation to them and beg $1.25 with the promise -- which I would keep -- to pay them back the next day.

Still kind of numb, but hopeful, I walk into ORIENT EXPRESSED IMPORTS. It's warm and filled with women. I walk up to the counter. There are three women who work behind the counter and three women who are obviously customers. I start to speak:

"Hi, I'm so sorry. I just had my car totaled and I have to get to work."

At this point, to my ABSOLUTE HORROR, I start crying. I never cry in public. I had no idea I was about to start crying. I say while crying:

"I just need to get on the bus to get to work. Could you possibly loan me $1.25? I --"

I am now crying too hard to speak. I have weeks of difficulty ahead of me. I have no idea what this guy's insurance company will do, what they'll pay me. I don't know how I'm going to make it through the next week without a car. And I loved that damn car. Some idiot kid has smashed up my car.

I stare at the six women in front of me, devastated.

They stare back.

One of them says, "Ma'am, we don't..." All six now continue to stare at me.

Okay, so they've all decided I'm some street urchin who's worked out a scheme to beg them for money. I realize this is going nowhere, I apologize, no one answers, they continue to stare, and I leave, continuing to cry and totally humiliated. I end up walking to work.

So, to the six women who looked at another woman (in her forties, dressed for work, and crying) and refused to help with so much as a compassionate word, let alone $1.25:

1. So what if I were some street person in nice clothes? I was CRYING. I was OBVIOUSLY NOT DOING WELL. Couldn't you have at least handed me a tissue??

2. I wanted bus money. Between the six of you, that would have been about 22 cents each. You are in a store that sells decorations for $100 a pop.

3. Yes, you probably donate money to your churches. Charity isn't always presented to you in little sealed envelopes and a formal tithing tray.

4. Did you congratulate yourselves after I left for not "falling for that scam"? Guess what? It wasn't a scam.

5. You had a chance to do a tiny little thing today that would have helped someone.

6. You failed.

Again, this story comes courtesy of a teenager driving his dad's car and the women at ORIENT EXPRESSED IMPORTS at 3905 MAGAZINE ST.