“I am not an elephant! I am not an animal! I am a human being! I am a man!”

— John Merrick, The Elephant Man

I rolled down my window and handed him supper in the form of a McDonald’s gift card.

“I really appreciate these, man. They really help.” he said.

“Yeah, no problem.” I said.

“What’s your name?” he asked me. I answered.

“What’s yours?” I returned the question.

“Adam.”

Adam stood on the side of the road, on the on-ramp, with a cardboard sign. I had passed him numerous times, and had given him a card a couple of times before. He was just a guy on the side of the road.

To many, he is an eyesore. A beggar. A tramp. A loser. An animal.

To me, he has a name.

His name is Adam.

Passed out a couple of McDonald’s gift cards, one of which was for Adam.