it was a day. i fell asleep around three am. woke up a few hours later. accidentally slept in.
rushed into clothes, brushed teeth, and out of the dark house (the electricity had decided to disappear). my dear el and i had decided to walk to work together and have a nice chat about her upcoming plans and the dinner we would be making to celebrate christmas and the arrival of her love. we were so close to work, when something strange happened.
someone had shaken el's bag and shoulders. i assumed it was a friend of hers and suspiciously eyed his eeire gesture. but el, too, seemed a bit put off and in the moments that followed this youngish man went to steal her wallet from her bag. she pulled away and then he attempted to run.
me being in some minds foolish and in some minds courageous...in my mind protective and instinctual...turned towards this guy and grabbed him by his shoulders almost throwing him to the ground until i realized that he hadn't managed to actually steal anything and that el needed my arms to hold her and let her know that everything was ok.
she was prepared for such an attempt and had her wallet chained to her bag.thankfully.
but nonetheless was completely shaken up about it. and rightfully so.
people down the way saw the spectacle and came rushing to make sure everything was alright.
i explained that this failure of a thief had tried to steal my friend's wallet. and that we were ok, but it was very unsettling. they agreed and tried to have us search him down by looking at his tracks in the sand...we just waited there for a second for el to catch her breath and calm down...then continued on our way to work.
the uncomfortable thought remained that in this sea of faces and having not had a good look at this fellow, we could pass him in the streets...and he would always know us by our distinctive looks and we would never know him by his chameleon shades.
not the best way to begin the day...but a much needed lesson in terms of awareness. perhaps.
