As of late, Zagreb is crawling with beggars. Whenever one of them comes my way, I have the same curt response: “Thanks.” Having thus gotten rid of a beggar a few minutes ago, I started wondering about my ways. Are they offended by my duplicitous retort? Would they prefer something ruder? “Buzz off,” for instance. Or something verging on an apology on account of my stinginess? “Sorry,” perhaps. At any rate, this is the first time I think about this matter from the vantage point of the beggar. And this I do regret. My most sincere if belated apologies to all beggars of the Croatian capital and beyond!