28. Pick Pocketed on the 22 Tram

My wife is a very rational and level-headed woman, so when she called me last week in a frantic state, I was seriously concerned. When she finally settled down she told me she had been pick-pocketed on the 22 tram. Then it was my turn to fume. I was so upset that she then had to calm me down.

I agreed to meet her in the centre where she had gotten off the tram. We would then go to the police together. Frankly, I knew this was going to happen. Our friends warned us about the huge numbers of pickpockets that preyed on tourists and foreigners on public transport. Signs on a lot of trams and metros reiterated that warning.

On the tram to meet Emma angry and everyone. I kept one hand on my wallet and one hand on my phone in the other pocket. I glared at some old women and frowned at a man who sat near me and read a newspaper. Imust have appeared like a crazed lunatic. I was so angry that I was ready to write off the whole human race.

When I reached Emma, I was amazed to see that two people were comforting her. Two strangers who had been on the tram with her and understood English, talked to her and calmed her. They helped her by calling the police. This actually warmed my heart. That two, random people would

to help out a complete stranger was remarkable.

One of the strangers walked us to a nearby police station. After he explained to the police what had happened, he said goodbye. We thanked him profusely for his help and he

off. The policeman was pretty useless, but he was friendly and offered us water while he

I was happily surprised that so many people were helpful in this time of stress. When Emma’s wallet came in the mail three days later,

dered wan-

and we learned two lessons. The first is that people in general are nice and helpful. The second is that you should your belongings on public transport.