When walking to my car while shopping yesterday afternoon, I noticed a girl looking decidedly guilty.
She was hovering and furtively (but nonchalantly – she hoped!) looking around to see who was watching. She calmly picked up an item from a basket outside the pharmacy and walked away.
I couldn’t believe my honest little eyes. So I walked up to her and said “where do you think you’re going with that?”
“It’s for my friend,” she replied, pointing down the street.
“She hasn’t paid for it anymore than you have, you little shoplifter,” I retorted.
In hindsight, we were still close enough to the store for me to push her in there, but I had Lachlan with me, so I took it off her and said in my meanest voice “don’t steal”.
Embarrassingly, there were half a dozen people in the pharmacy when I returned the makeup to the shop assistant who had served me moments before. They couldn’t believe I had stopped someone shoplifting. What was I supposed to do? Just watch her?
And in school uniform too. Should I phone the school? What would you have done?
rivettingKateTaylor 
In our little town? That’s shocking! I would have done the same as well as tried to get her name AND mentioned calling the police while taking cell phone out of my pocket…or even better snapped a quick photo. Hopefully the scare and embarrassment was enough to deter her and her friend from ” a life of crime”. Good on ya!
By: Sarah Simmons on March 29, 2011
at 10:54 am
I phoned the school, was immediately phoned back by the principal, popped in to look at photos of students and postively ID’d her straight away. She is known for this kind of behaviour, which is sad. I was hoping I had broken a cycle before it even looked remotely like a curve.
By: rivettingkatetaylor on March 30, 2011
at 7:33 am
Well done – thats your good deed for the week.
By: Big Sis on March 30, 2011
at 7:58 am