Bab 36: Chapter 36

After another pizza and a glass of wine, Sidney met back up with the group by their bus in order to take the Vatican tour. She saw a homeless woman, the only one that she'd seen since being in Rome. She was dressed in simple robes but they covered her from head to toe, which meant that she must be sweltering in this heat. She was kneeling on her knees with her forehead pressed to the ground. Her outstretched hand clutched a small woven cup to collect offerings.

It was the most sorrowful thing that she'd seen since being in Europe. Where were all the homeless? Even in Cincinnati they had a number of street people, but Sidney had never seen an old woman laid out in such a position of submission as she silently asked for an offering.

Several members of the tour looked on sadly but turned away murmuring about how unfortunate it was for such an old lady to be out in this heat and covered from head to toe begging. Where was her family? Why had they allowed her to live like this?