No means NO

Ron and I had a long hellish day. It involved hours at work, an MRI, a bladder infection, and trying for over an hour to give a specimen for the doctor. That's before we had to wait over and hour to go to Walmart to fill a prescription.

I got him some AZO and a snack. He was pretty hungry. Found out we'd have to wait 3 hours for the 'script so we decided to wait and get it tomorrow. That still meant waiting over another hour for our ride.

Needless to say, when we saw our driver we were very, very happy. When we got on, though, I recognized the other passenger. She is an elderly, partially blind, diabetic woman. She is very lonely and highly addicted to sugar.

The last time we rode with her, I'd gone to Sam's Club and bought a 48-count case of Snickers. She asked me to give her one. No. I don't hand out candy to diabetics, especially not type ones with talking blood sugar meters sitting in their laps. Personally, I think it's akin to assisted suicide.

She got very upset and said I was a horrible person. Because I wouldn't give her candy that I needed for the business. That's fine. She's entitled to her opinion. I found her both offensive and pathetic, a dire reminder of why I need to stick to low-carb living. It could very easily be me sitting there in 40 years if I'm not diligent about my eating.

We ended that ride with her thinking I'm a monster. So I knew it would be an interesting ride. She told us how she spent over $200 to stay in a hotel during a hurricane because she didn't want to stay alone in her apartment. She didn't say anything until right before Ron and I got off. We bring home cases of Coke, Dr Pepper, and bottled water for the drivers. When we have a to/from home trip, we always offer the driver a drink. Ron started it and I love it.

I asked the driver "Coke, Dr Pepper, or a bottle of water?" He was thrilled and said he'd like a Dr Pepper. Ms. Pushy chimed in "I want a soda too!"

We told her no. "But I want a soda!" We can't afford to do it. "I'd give you a soda!" I told her, well, I guess that makes you a better person than me but the answer is still NO.

When we got off, she was still complaining bitterly about our "cruelty".

Right.