Sunday, August 26, 2007

Sixty-five cents

 
"Mesdames et mesieures, je suis un criminel car je n'ai pas soxant-cinq pieces" (1), a man said in train this morning.
The security guards came to check train passes and tickets. I was in the first car this morning, where they started from. They asked tickets from a man who was with his young daughter.
The man showed his ticket. The security guards noted that  the ticket is missing 65 cents, therefore they wanted the man to identify himself so that they can charge him with offence. The man refused to show his id-card and insisted that he should be let go as this is not a big crime.

"Arretez-moi, arretez mon fille"(2), said the man as he got more irritated.
The security  guards were resilient and in the end, I  saw that the man was taking his id-cards out from his wallet.

During this debacle, I noticed something that inspired me to write this in my blog.
Even during the heat of argument, both the man and the security guards kept their voices low. They  did  not swear at each other, let alone any physical contact. How was it possible? Alright, the man was not in  a position to raise his hand, but the security guards had power. They were so well trained to contain their emotions that you would hardly hear their voice.

Something to reflect!

 
(1) "Ladies and gentlemen, I am a criminal because I don't have coins of sixty-five cents."
(2) "Arrest me, arrest my daughter."
 
 

No comments: