We stopped at a small fishing village for a walk along the beach. On our return to the truck we spotted a youth hanging about our vehicle. As we approached he asked us for money – it was common practice for Muslims to hand out a few dirhams to those less fortunate than themselves and I always kept loose change in my pocket for that purpose. But we really didn’t feel this sullen half boy, half man needed our charity; we preferred to help the old folk or women with young children – there were always too many to choose from.
As we climbed into the truck we spotted a football we had purchased at the supermarket, perhaps with the idea of having a game over Christmas. Frankly, the ball was always in the way so Tony suggested we give it to the lad. We called him back and lobbed the ball through the truck window. He deftly caught it and his face split into a huge grin – it was obvious he was delighted and he hurried away, repeatedly turning and waving to us as he left. We were pleased and felt the ball had found a good home.
