Perhaps they can be Choosers...

I was talking to a coworker while driving across the city the other day. We were trying to guess how much cash some of these beggars make in the run of a month at one of these busy intersections. She told me the following story and swears that she knows the people involved:

A couple are on their way home from some sort of social gathering. They’re both tired from all the cheek-kissing small talk, so they’re glad to be headed home. While they’re stopped at one of the intersections, a ragged old beggar approaches the window, and the woman absently reaches into her bag and gives him a handful of loose coins. It isn’t until they arrive home that she realizes that she is missing one of her diamond earrings, and that she has probably given it to the beggar.

Hoping against hope, they fly back to the intersection, but the beggar is nowhere to be found. The husband gets out and talks to another beggar, who says, "Oh, you’re looking for Ali, he gets off at midnight." Mildly surprised that the beggars work in shifts, the man is told that Ali the beggar lives nearby and is quite a nice fellow, so they should go talk to him. The couple gets the address and makes their way toward the beggar’s house.

When they get to the end of the lane-way, and the specified address, they see a large, lazy, luxurious house. Thinking that maybe the beggar is a servant here during the day (since they’re working in shifts after all) they ring the bell. A servant answers and says that yes the man they seek is there and to come right in. So they walk into the foyer and someone goes to get Ali. Finally, the master of the house, a clean-cut, well-dressed man, walks down the stairs and greets them. The husband explains that they are looking for a particular beggar named Ali, that they may have given him a precious earring by accident. "But I am Ali," says the mystery man, who then calls one of the servants, "Please go an fetch my uniform from upstairs." The servants runs off and returns with a pile of dirty rags. Ali, the beggar king, searches through the little pockets and pouches and finds the missing earring. "Here you are Madam, I’m sorry for the inconvenience" he says, "now would anyone like a drink?"

Now, granted, this does have the distinct flavour of an urban myth. To tell you the truth, I don’t really care, because I think it’s an awesome story. So if you ask me, it’s true. If you don’t, well then, it’s still true.