Weird - so, what would you do?

The other day I was in a bookstore. It's summer, so we're talking about 3 in the afternoon.

A man (forties or fifties, dressed business casual) walked up to me and kept asking me questions that seemed to me to be the kind you would address to a store employee. So, I kept saying, I don't work here.

He finally said "I work at AT&T. I am embarrassed but I left my check card at home. I have a flat tire and NTW wants $24.75. I have the $.75."

I told him I couldn't help him. He kept insisting until I walked off.

I keep coming back to the idea that IT WAS 3 IN THE AFTERNOON.

I would have called my son, my husband, my friends, my neighbors, thumbed home, walked the 10 miles before I would have walked up to a perfect (thank you very much) stranger and asked for $24.

If he worked at AT&T, why didn't he call them? SOMEONE would be in the office at 3 in the afternoon. On a Tuesday.

So, what do you think?

My husband made disparaging remarks about this man being a alcoholic and the panhandling price has gone up.