11.17.2012

Another Memory Extract

I was five or so. An age that is too long ago. I was at a local grocery market with my Mum.

My Mum left me at the sorry-excuse-of-an-arcade area to look after the groceries she had bought while she scouted for more. I stood there. I don't remember what I was wearing but I distinctly remember that I had my little Pooh-bear sling bag.

I waited.

An Asian man came up to me.

"Hello! Where's your mother?" he charmingly asked in Vietnamese

- She went to buy groceries. Who are you?

"I'm your Mum's good friend. What are you doing?"

At this point, I had completely trusted the unknown man. My Mum always mentioned the fundamentals of 'Stranger Danger' but at this point, I threw all that out the window and completely trusted the unknown man. Afterall, he was a good friend of my mothers'.

- I'm waiting.

"What's that bag you have? It's very nice"

- Thank you. It was a gift from my Aunt.

"Do you have any money in there?" 

- No. I have no money.

"Surely you have some money. Just show me! I bet you have heaps!" 

I naively showed the man the contents of my bag which was in fact empty.

"Oh well. I'll see you around kid!" 

Straight after it clicked. I was close to being robbed.

I saw Mum come back and I told her what had happened.

"Oh. That's strange. I don't many old Vietnamese men. I wonder who it could be" she pondered.

Not the response I was expecting.


 I guess naivety runs in the family.

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