Rushing down the escalators he managed to hop on the train
before the doors shut. Quickly glancing across the carriage, he knew that he
would have to stand for the rest of the journey.
Deciding to get comfortable, he leaned against the see
through panel on the side of the seats, whilst placing his headphones on;
drowning out the clanking sound from the tracks.
As the train approached the next stop, he remembered
exactly why he hated the underground during rush hour, as what looked like a
sea of people were seconds away from boarding.
He allowed the multitude to squeeze past him; packing into
the carriage like a bunch of sardines, and the whiff that followed didn’t smell
far off from fishy either.
As the train rather bumpily took off again, he
accidentally fell onto a woman who was standing directly in front of him. Promptly
getting his balance back, he immediately apologised as he noticed the distinct
distaste in her face.
Another five minutes into the journey, the woman reached
into her handbag as she prepared to exit the train. Her non-stop rustling soon
turned into sheer panic, as she realised that she couldn’t find her purse.
Without a second thought, she glanced at him straight in the
eyes saying, “I know you took it”.
Oblivious to what she may have been looking for and what
he was meant to have taken, he gently replied, “Lady I don’t know what you are
talking about, and I definitely didn’t take anything”.
Starting to raise her voice, she angrily muttered, “no one
else could have taken my purse. I had it before I got on this train and now its
gone, so you explain that to me”!
Getting a little agitated, he began to realise what was
going on and politely requested that she did not raise her voice at him, further stating; “your accusation is ridiculous, because you have no
proof, yet you’re claiming I’m a thief. There are at least two other people
standing right next to you, yet you're pointing the finger at me?”
The train had now
stopped at the next station, and a few passengers boarding and exiting brushed passed
them as the quibble continued.
Insistently and intentionally she continued to yell alerting
the rest of the carriage as to what was happening.
“I’m not a fool. I know your type, you did not
‘accidentally’ bump into me earlier, it was all part of your little scheme to
slither your hands into my bag. With people like you around, we will never be
safe. Ever!”
He abruptly retaliated with ‘what exactly are you
implying? ...You know what don’t even answer that. I haven't got the energy for your reply; besides I’m getting off at the next stop so I won’t have
to deal with this any longer.”
“Oh…how convenient!" she said, "this guy has just stolen my purse,
and now he’s going to walk right off this train, scott free. Brilliant!
If only you worked for your money, then you
might understand the value of it and realise that you just can’t go around
taking from others.”
Tutting with disgust he rhetorically replied, “I don’t
understand the value of money hey? You think you have the right to talk to me
about the value of money or working hard, when you probably have no idea what
that is yourself.
You look like the type of person who just sits at home, with
not a care in the world, living off the more than generous handouts from your
rich husband.
Without having to lift a finger, you’ve probably got it all, the fancy house and nice
cars..., yet you want to lecture me on
understanding the value of money?”
Responding in a more mellow tone she said, “How can you
make such an assumption? I’ll have you know that I work very hard to put food
on the table and make sure that my children still get the best in life,
regardless of the fact that they no longer have a dad.”
“Erm, the same way you’re assuming I took your purse” he
retorted, as he placed his headphones back on.
He noticed the glares the other passengers were now
giving him, but turning his back to them, he faced the door as he prepared to
get off.
Once he was off the train, she stuck her head out the
door hollering various profanities and screaming “you will not get away with
this, if not for the fact that I might get stabbed, you definitely would not have gotten
off this train.”
Feeling rather drained and somewhat embarrassed, he briskly walked away, and completely ignored her.
Later on that evening…
Rushing to get her phone before the call cut out, the
woman greeted “hello Emily speaking”.
“Hi Emily, this is Ian from Transport for London. You
left your purse at the ticket window in Liverpool street station earlier today.
Another customer noticed it lying on the side and handed it in to us.”
Almost frozen in her tracks, the only thought permeating her mind was the fact that based on her preconceived assumption; she acted
maliciously towards a completely innocent man.
“Hello, hello, Emily are you still there?” called Ian.
“Yes sorry, I’m still here. I could have sworn I put my
purse back in my bag; I have never been this careless in my life. I will surely head back to the station right away.
Thank you Ian”.
Pondering on how despicable her behaviour had been, She
knew it was too late to make amends, as she would probably never see that young
man again. She knew her assumption might not only negatively affect him, but it
further fuelled the prejudices that were already rife in society.
This experience
taught her a valuable lesson, a lesson where she would always take the time to
think about the other possibilities a situation may pose. A lesson where she
would not react on her assumptions; as there are always two sides to a story.
In doing so, she
would defy the odds and remain confident in knowing that regardless of the facts, she is now going to remain true to what is right.
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