Holiday Snaps: Empty pockets for probing hands

Interested to divest me

The interest young Turks might have in me could easily have lulled me into a false sense of security and comfort in satisfying what I thought was honest curiosity.

It was hard enough that I had to represent every ethnic stereotype they had learnt from all sorts of places, being called brother, speaking ‘hood talk and pumping fists – things I had to feign ability of and engage in with a modicum of fraternal agreement.

So, there were this group of youngsters who crowded round to take pictures, first standing then sitting but something bizarre and amusing was going on.

You gotta pick a pocket or two

All the pockets on my trousers and there were about 9 in all had either Velcro strip seals or zippers, but then I rarely walk around with valuables so, literally all of them were empty, especially the upper pockets.

In the sitting pose, the kid to my left was not making hand gestures but folded his arms as the squeeze of trying to get everyone in the frame of the picture allowed for the hand nearest to me to try picking my pocket.

Entertained no end

At which point, I know they were up to no good and everything they were doing was distraction related to relieve me of my things.

After each take, I noticed that the youngsters successively called a much younger person to sit beside me, in all there were 4 attempts to pick my empty pockets as I smiled and grins for each picture until they began to tire of me.

The interest had waned because I believe after each click of the camera for a picture they asked the perpetrator if he had gotten anything and well, he hadn’t.

I also believe they were now more curious to find out where my money was by asking if I could get them a drink, I told them I neither drank nor smoked and it would be healthy for them to desist too.

No more a novelty

On that rather monkish note, I tactfully took leave of them but saying it was bedtime for me. When they saw me later on, I was barely acknowledged and I suppose they were looking for another friendly and gullible victim.

In all, it just meant one had to be alert and aware that not every seemingly friendly act is good and wholesome, they might be up to no good.