dana-pt. 2
i wasn't sure how to feel. while we weren't close, i felt betrayed. he came into my store and tried to take what wasn't his. i had stolen many times in my past. in fact, it was quite the habit in high school. we would often go to the mall just to see how much crap we could shove in our pockets without getting caught. so i wasn't judging him. i was hurt and angry. and i couldn't just let him walk away.
i walked quietly through the front doors so that he wouldn't hear me coming behind him. he was already half a block away and looking back at me. so much for the element of surprise. i expected to be in for a chase. but he stood there. staring at me, with a sad look on his face.
"what's up?" he asked as i approached, half-heartedly hoping i had simply forgotten to pass on a message.
"what's in your coat, dana?" i asked, figuring there was no sense beating around the bush, and i wasn't about to frisk him.
once i looked closer, you could see the object clearly, it was bulky and heavy, a very strange choice when stealing. i mean, i would have gone for the "Test-A-Mints" myself. did you know they contain pure, unfiltered truth from God? anyway, he didn't protest or fight the accusation. he simply pulled out...a snowglobe. this added to the strangeness of the whole thing. i assumed he was hoping to pawn it off for a couple bucks and it was the only thing he could grab with no one noticing. of all the stupid things, a snowglobe was what he took. i had stolen stupid things too. a 66 of whiskey from a chinese restaurant (don't ask), tester cologne from walmart, a toonie from tyler laycock's window sill. sorry tyler. i could see three or four people staring at us out the window of the store, so i decided not to take him back there. instead we went to taco time. what better way to confront a thief than over a couple steaming hot tacos.
we worked things out that night. he promised not to steal from the store anymore. we ate our tacos and said goodbye, not really sure what else to say. the snoglobe reclaimed it's rightful place...on the display shelf exploiting some poor old lady who would be foolish enough to waste $35 on it. actually, come to think of it, it's not the snowglobes fault. i was the one exploiting poor old ladies. it's a living...
dana kept showing up for a while, very repentant. he apologized profusely, thankful i didn't turn him in. we kept having coffee together and more awkward conversations. he even told me he wanted to come to my church. being the good christian i am, i thought i had hit the jackpot. christianity is all about saving souls, right? that's another conversation for another time. needless to say, he didn't show up at our meeting place any of the 3 times he said he would come. i started to notice alcohol on his breath once in a while. but i didn't think much of it. lot's of people drink. so what? but then he started asking for money. i have always believed that when someone asks for money, you should give it to them. lots of Christians and rich people will say that you shouldn't, because they will just spend it on booze and smokes. i know lot's of christians who spend their money on more useless things than booze and smokes, like test-a-mints and snowglobes, so i don't tend to take their advice to seriously. so i gave him a few bucks. and every time he came in, the reason for needing money was more extravagant than the last. first, he didn't have food. then he needed to pay for his father's medication. deep down, i knew he was lying. but what could i say? he was a friend. i was his enabler.
the straw that broke the camel's back was when he told me in a drunken stupor he needed $10 to buy tampons for his wife, who according to him was at that moment bleeding profusely. first off, i didn't need to hear that. neither did you, come to think of it. sorry. secondly, HE WAS DIVORCED, and had told me so weeks earlier. things were out of control, and i couldn't be his friend anymore. and i told him that. i told him i was fed up, and that he needed to quit lying to me. if he needed food, i would find him that, but no more money. i still don't buy the excuse that you shouldn't give money to poor people who ask, even going through this. i think that is an excuse for rich people to be greedy and ignore the problem. but i had in front of me someone who was clearly lying and clearly suffering from alcoholism and who knows what else. he apologized once more, and stumbled out the door.
i didn't see dana much after that. until i got a phone call from prison.
i walked quietly through the front doors so that he wouldn't hear me coming behind him. he was already half a block away and looking back at me. so much for the element of surprise. i expected to be in for a chase. but he stood there. staring at me, with a sad look on his face.
"what's up?" he asked as i approached, half-heartedly hoping i had simply forgotten to pass on a message.
"what's in your coat, dana?" i asked, figuring there was no sense beating around the bush, and i wasn't about to frisk him.
once i looked closer, you could see the object clearly, it was bulky and heavy, a very strange choice when stealing. i mean, i would have gone for the "Test-A-Mints" myself. did you know they contain pure, unfiltered truth from God? anyway, he didn't protest or fight the accusation. he simply pulled out...a snowglobe. this added to the strangeness of the whole thing. i assumed he was hoping to pawn it off for a couple bucks and it was the only thing he could grab with no one noticing. of all the stupid things, a snowglobe was what he took. i had stolen stupid things too. a 66 of whiskey from a chinese restaurant (don't ask), tester cologne from walmart, a toonie from tyler laycock's window sill. sorry tyler. i could see three or four people staring at us out the window of the store, so i decided not to take him back there. instead we went to taco time. what better way to confront a thief than over a couple steaming hot tacos.
we worked things out that night. he promised not to steal from the store anymore. we ate our tacos and said goodbye, not really sure what else to say. the snoglobe reclaimed it's rightful place...on the display shelf exploiting some poor old lady who would be foolish enough to waste $35 on it. actually, come to think of it, it's not the snowglobes fault. i was the one exploiting poor old ladies. it's a living...
dana kept showing up for a while, very repentant. he apologized profusely, thankful i didn't turn him in. we kept having coffee together and more awkward conversations. he even told me he wanted to come to my church. being the good christian i am, i thought i had hit the jackpot. christianity is all about saving souls, right? that's another conversation for another time. needless to say, he didn't show up at our meeting place any of the 3 times he said he would come. i started to notice alcohol on his breath once in a while. but i didn't think much of it. lot's of people drink. so what? but then he started asking for money. i have always believed that when someone asks for money, you should give it to them. lots of Christians and rich people will say that you shouldn't, because they will just spend it on booze and smokes. i know lot's of christians who spend their money on more useless things than booze and smokes, like test-a-mints and snowglobes, so i don't tend to take their advice to seriously. so i gave him a few bucks. and every time he came in, the reason for needing money was more extravagant than the last. first, he didn't have food. then he needed to pay for his father's medication. deep down, i knew he was lying. but what could i say? he was a friend. i was his enabler.
the straw that broke the camel's back was when he told me in a drunken stupor he needed $10 to buy tampons for his wife, who according to him was at that moment bleeding profusely. first off, i didn't need to hear that. neither did you, come to think of it. sorry. secondly, HE WAS DIVORCED, and had told me so weeks earlier. things were out of control, and i couldn't be his friend anymore. and i told him that. i told him i was fed up, and that he needed to quit lying to me. if he needed food, i would find him that, but no more money. i still don't buy the excuse that you shouldn't give money to poor people who ask, even going through this. i think that is an excuse for rich people to be greedy and ignore the problem. but i had in front of me someone who was clearly lying and clearly suffering from alcoholism and who knows what else. he apologized once more, and stumbled out the door.
i didn't see dana much after that. until i got a phone call from prison.
posted by xblairx @ 9:56 PM
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