That was that.

Graduate school fills your head with ideas--for better or for worse.

After my nonprofits class, I can't help thinking about volunteering and donating and ending world poverty.

On the train home from school tonight, there was a girl walking up and down the car, asking everyone for money. Just a dollar or two. She'd left her wallet somewhere.

She got to me, and I took out my headphones. Her speech was slow and it seemed too young. Her face was toward mine, level with mine, but her eyes weren't looking where I thought they would be.

While she was still explaining, I got two dollar bills out of my pocket. I didn't even unfold them, just put them in her hand and said, "Here's two dollars."

She said thank you and moved on to the next person and rehearsed her lines. I put in my headphones and that was that.

That was that. That was that. That's all there was to it. She walked away and who she was and where she was headed and what she would do with my two dollars was of no concern. And whether I had done the right thing was of no concern.

That was that.

That's what I told myself, at least.