There once was a man who was nearly out of money. He went from job site to job site searching for work, but no matter how hard he tried no-one would hire him. One day when he was nearly at his wits end, he walked into a pub and sat down. He decided to buy himself a pint, something he hadn't done in a very long time. But this time he thought it was money well spent, it was a way to satisfy a craving he had long deprived himself of.

One beer was all he could afford, so he sat down at a table to enjoy it. As he sat there a woman came up to him. She said to him that she had fallen on tough times and could he spare a few dollars. The man looked at her for several minutes, his eyes meeting hers.

He saw her eyes were full of desperation. Dim, sad, lonely, without purpose or cause. She held out her hand to him. It was pale and her fingers and arms were thin and her skin wrinkled. The man looked. What was he to say to her? Here he was, having spent the last bit of money he had on a treat for himself. All he had was the pint of beer and the clothes he wore. All he could offer her were either the very clothes on his back or the beer in his hand. He looked at her. And he looked at her. And there she stood with her hand out longingly.

"Please, sit down", the man said. The woman was taken aback. All she wanted was some spare change and to move on, this was her way. But in this moment, she accepted his invitation. She pulled the chair out from the table and sat down. She did not know what he was going to say or do. She was at the same time, full of anticipation and dread.

For several minutes they sat in silence. The man looking at his beer, the woman looking at the man. Two broken humans, sitting in a place where people often find comfort and camaraderie. Then the man spoke, "All I can offer you is my coat or my beer. Which would you like?" The woman didn't know what to say. She had a coat, although it was getting a bit tattered. And she wasn't that keen on beer. But she suddenly realised that he too was like her. She looked and only then did she see him.

His eyes were sunken and dim, like hers. His face was drawn and lean. He looked tired and weighed down with a heavy burden. How had she not seen this before, she thought. "Thank you" she said. "Your kindness and generosity are so touching." The man looked up. And smiled. The woman smiled back. They had very little. Yet in that moment, they had everything.