To Catch a Thief
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Recently, while I was looking like a typical tourist traipsing aimlessly through Rome’s central train station market area, a petite teenager approached me and put her hands all over me, muttering in Italian as if she wanted a date. I told her my girlfriend was nearby and walked away.
Ten seconds later, I wondered what that was all about. I unzipped my waist pouch and discovered my wallet had been removed. I screamed, and a vendor (an angel probably) pointed down a street. I noticed the girl getting on a bus. I sprinted over, demanded my wallet back and yelled, “Polizia.” The wallet miraculously appeared, and she handed it over. It held travelers checks, currency and all my ID. I was extremely lucky.
It was a lesson. Why run around Rome with your wallet? Just carry enough money in your front pocket for the day.
JAMES JONES
North Hollywood
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