Phobic Justice

It was right around this time of year when Nadine was out Christmas shopping that she witnessed a brazen robbery. She was in Rindall’s Jewelry Emporium hoping to find a pair of earrings for Louise, her best friend. This was her last hope for the day and with her schedule, Nadine knew she wouldn’t be able to get out shopping again before Christmas Day.

In the middle of deciding between two pairs of gold earrings, a man came into the store and, at first, she didn’t pay too much attention to him, but when she glanced in the mirror and saw his features in the opposite mirror, she couldn’t help think that he looked like a sinister stranger. At the thought, she felt a twinge of guilt wash over her for being judgmental without knowing the person. She averted her attention back to the earrings.

Not more than a moment or two later, the quiet atmosphere was shattered by complete bedlam when the man bolted for the door. The saleslady ran after him shouting, “Thief! Thief! Someone call the police!”

Inside the store, the manager pushed the alarm button and the saleslady attending to Nadine grabbed the tray of merchandise and locked it up in the case. Nadine froze in place, fearful that if she moved, they would mistake her as an accomplice to the heist and trying to leave.

The police appeared almost instantaneously and spread out over the area as people pointed the way in which the thief had run. Other officers stayed on the scene and began questioning the store personnel. One of the officers took a statement from Nadine and just by the nature of the questions he asked, she could tell they were related to finding out if she knew the man. She learned that the man had stolen a ring valued at $5,000.

Because they were not sure what they were dealing with regarding the thief, they would not let Nadine leave the store explaining it was for her safety she remain there. At first, she thought about protesting but then when she settled down, she was thankful to be where she was out of danger.

With the police officers in the store, the saleslady asked if it would be okay to continue with the sale to Nadine and they agreed, which pleased Nadine being as it helped to distract her from nervously waiting for something to happen. She didn’t know if it was due to her being genuinely undecided or from the need to pass the time that she was stalling making a final decision. She decided on the gold dangle earrings with the diamond-accent engraving.

They were at the register when some police officers came into the store announcing they had caught the man. From what Nadine was able to garner from the conversation, the man had run into an abandoned building and went into the cellar to hide. The police would have missed him hiding in a cubby hole if it hadn’t been for some spiders crawling on the man’s face and neck, causing him to scramble out into the open.

Apparently, the guy suffered from a true case of arachnophobia. His fear of spiders was so overwhelming it was worth it to him to risk spending time in jail than staying where he was.

Later that evening when home, Nadine reflected on the events of the day and was thankful that through it all no one was hurt. She wondered what circumstances were involved to have caused the man to try something so brazen. Of course, she had no way of ever finding out the true reasons but felt saddened by the fact that such things happened everyday. It made her realize how fortunate she was to have the life she did. She settled back with her cup of hot chocolate and listened to the Christmas music softly playing in the background, knowing this Christmas would have more meaning to it than she had ever realized.

  Chelle Munroe©

   December 21, 2013