Stephen Felando, an enterprising Santa Rosa restaurateur and undeterred San Diego Chargers fan, arrived at his Joey's Pizza early the other morning to find a shoeless man huddled near the door.
Felando said hello and asked the fellow if he'd like something to eat. Felando went into his kitchen there in the Belvedere building on Mendocino Avenue and whipped up a meal of sandwiches and salad.
The fellow was grateful, telling Felando, "I'm headed to Mars and today I've got to get over Calistoga Mountain."
About then, Felando noticed that the man wore no shoes, only thin socks.
Felando isn't the sort to just look away. His charitable nature has shone through all of his ventures, including the Grateful Bagel shops and Caf?de Croissants.
He asked the man, "How are going to get over Calistoga Mountain without shoes?" The stranger replied that he would get by.
So Felando pulled off the shoes he was wearing, a pair of flip-flops bearing the Chargers logo. Offering them to the man, he said he was sorry there weren't sturdier footwear and hoped they would be better than nothing.
"That'd be great," the fellow said, taking the shoes. Examining them, he said, "Are these Chargers flip-flops?"
Felando noted that though he left San Diego years ago he's still a fan.
With that, the wanderer handed him back the flip-flops. "I'm good," he said. And off he went in stocking feet.
As he blended into the darkness, Felando stood open-mouthed and thinking, "Wow, a new low as a Chargers fan!
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