The Beggar wears Prada

Recently a friend of mine told me a story of how she was involved in a smash-and-grab. Her story was so funny that I felt I needed to blog about it. Now, in no way do I endorse 'smash-and-grabs,' however, her story is unique and for this fact, it deserved a blog.

She was driving towards Gateway shopping Center with a line of traffic in front of her. Forced to stop at a robot, a beggar approached her car asking for money. She standardly told him she had no money before seeing his eyes pressed against her window and white teeth in a grin of triumph. The shattering of the window left her passenger seat covered in shards of glass, which subsequently fell onto her handbag. Both the beggar and her grabbed for the handbag at the same time, with her being the triumphant one having wrestled it out of his reach and into her lap. Before she was able to rejoice in the fact that she had won her own bag in this wrestling match between the beggar, a knife was pressed against the back of her neck.

"Let go," the dark voice boomed in her car.

Instead of simply letting go, like we are taught to do in such situations, she answered back, "Take what you want, just leave me my bag."

The knife pressed deeper into her skin, while the beggar slurred, "Let go."

Once more she persisted in her request of leaving the bag, finally after the knife pressed even deeper into her skin she released the bag and watched with horror as the beggar leaned in her car and proceeded to go through the contents of her handbag in front of her.

"Just take what you want and leave my bag!" she requested for the last time.

The Beggar only responded with, "Shut up!"

Finally the beggar left her car, carrying her most prized possession - her handbag.

Once he was a few meters away, and the robot still hadn't changed yet, she got out of her car in a craze over her bag.

Screaming and shouting after the beggar who had robbed her, she takes off her high heeled shoe and throws it at the man, landing a square blow to his head. Dazed and confused, the beggar bent down to retrieve the item that had accosted him. In this period, she throws her second shoe at the beggar, who (after showing the street his plumber's crack) picks up both shoes, smiles in triumph and places the shoes in the handbag. The beggar simply scored more items.

So from where I am sitting, I honestly don't know who is more innovative - my friend or the beggar. My friend still wanted to go back after the incident to retrieve her bag and to this day, I don't know whether to call her 'brave' or 'stupid,' either way, the element of crime in South Africa doesn't rule her life.