Intervening

on what would have been a pick pocket.

It was a Friday evening around 7:30 and Isabelle and I were on our way out for dinner... we were at a metro station on the Champs Elysees, so obviously high tourist activity. I saw a group of young people of a certain nationality who unfortunately have been stereotyped as being pick pocketers. I said to Isabelle, this may be a neat experience... lets get on the same train as them and see if there's any action. So the doors open to the metro, we get on beside them. A couple comes on the train, clearly tourists with lots of touristy bags. They look a bit confused and glance at the map, as most tourists do and one of the girls puts her hand under her purse and slips over to the purse of the female tourist. I am staring at the happening right beside them and then get right in there and say "ATTENTION, ATTENTION" - and get their attention by staring the female tourist in the eyes... she then caught on that I was referring to the fact that was a hand almost in her bag. The young, maybe 13 year old, looked at me with rage and signaled her posse to get off the train before the doors closed... mission aborted. Before stepping off the train, she turns around and spits at me!!! Then as soon as one of the others realizes what happened, he starts spitting at me too!!! Miraculously I didn't get any on me, but my friend Isabelle got some on her face (sorry Izo). The cherry on the cake was when the French man beside me gave me the DIRTIEST look because he got a drop of spit on his sleeve; a look that said, "Thanks a lot for intervening, you made me get a trace of spit on me, next time, keep your mouth shut." haha

The tourists realized what had happened, and gave me a look of gratitude.

Thoughts:

- I would never want to be a victim of a theft, so I put myself in their shoes.

- It could have put me in harm, but I was with a friend and there were plenty of other people around.

- What goes around comes around...

- Beware of your belongings- no matter where you are in the world.

- My mom always said do 1 nice thing for someone and it will come back to you 3 times in return.

- I didn't want to have to deal with a case of stolen passports on Monday morning (hehe, how selfish of me)