The pickpocket and me

The shock came after it all happened.

The traffic light hit red and I crossed the street together with pedestrians and a snatcher. *click* I was bumped and I heard my bag's pocket clicked. I was targeted by a pickpocket and he was successful.

I wheeled around and instead found a she. My Giorgio Armani phone was in her -the pickpocket- hands. There was no mistake about it. I gasped, and confronted her. I was face to face with the culprit. I glared and screamed at her and this caused her a temporary shock.

I crossed her path and shouted, "Give me back my phone, you bitch!" It was then she flashed a knife at me and said, "Never!" The traffic light hit yellow as I lunged toward her in an attempt to retrieve my phone. I pinned her down the gravel road and tried to grab my phone back. She gave me a kick at my abdomen and I was thrown back a bit. The traffic light hit green. The snatcher was hit by a fast moving jeepney. Her unconscious body flipped a meter away. My phone slided away from her grasp. I tried to run after it. A car honked at me as it braked. I was almost killed.

Nah.

I turned, shouted at the pickpocket and grabbed my phone back. She quietly submitted and ran away.

The truth is, the pickpocket was probably an amateur. She might have been unaware that she had stolen a phone, the Giorgio Armani phone looked more like a small wallet, actually, not to mention that it's quite a rare model. She must have thought I wouldn't notice it when she bumped me and stole my phone. Unfortunately for her, she didn't seem to expect me to be vigilant enough to turn around and grab my phone back. Lucky for me, she didn't have any weapons on her.

It wasn't very surprising to have such an encounter in the intersection of Pedro Gil and Taft Avenue in Manila. It pays to stay aware and be extra careful when walking in a crowded place. Maa maa. This is just another story to tell.