99 cent on the brown bag

In the 50th or more time automatically writing the statement of ’99 c’ on a brown bag for roasted peanuts I caught myself on one interesting thought. Why do we like to eat 99 cent peanuts, wear $ n.99 jeans, drive a $ n000.99 car? What means this small bonus for us?
I wrote this statement during 3-month period of my work in the US. It was a good job which helps me to analyze and think about my everyday life experience in America.
When you are 20-years old you are opened for new thoughts, people, places, emotions. That night I was opened to enjoy the night city atmosphere and came to Boston without money and a place for lodging for the night. Being the overflowed person by passion for adventures I enjoyed the city trip about till 3 a.m. After that I remember just the moment when my saturated trip through sweet dreams was interrupted. It was Patrick; a guy looks about thirty with beautiful face, good constitution, kind eyes and sincere smile. It turned out that I settled down on a very popular bench.
That guy was homeless. With surprising politeness and courteousness in communication so characteristic of him, he asked me to move a bit and sat down beside me. Our communication lasted till the morning and I not once had fatigue feeling and desire to sleep. During conversation Patrick so carried away me! I understood that he is more intelligent, open-minded and well brought up than lots of the top-people of our society. We spoke about politics and economics, family and friendship, advertising and modern customs, dreams and aims…we spoke about everything without any uneasiness and embarrassment. And just in one situation I felt that Patrick was a bit confused. That situation gave me to know that many tramps NOT as HOMELESS as are FREE…sometimes as opposed to us.
In the fiftieth or more time automatically writing the statement of ’99 c’ on a brown bag for roasted peanuts I caught myself on one interesting thought “Maybe, is it our freedom?”