!Socorro, ladron!

I was almost sure he was the thief. I saw his hand come out of my friends bag, and there was a wallet in his hand. But I wasn't sure if it was my friend's wallet, and I hesistated to react.

I turned, and the hand disappeared altogether, and so did the person. The metro doors beeped and were just about to shut. At that very moment, a lady came up to us, and said that my friend had just been robbed. We quickly jumped out of the metro before the doors shut and the train pulled away. A few metres away was the man who I think had taken my friend's wallet, but I could not be sure.

We went up to the man, bald, wearing a gray T-shirt and long white trousers. He had a small beard, and a Medditerean look. He looked innocently as if he did not understand what we were saying, and he just pointed ahead, as if the thief had gone ahead. We rushed forward towards the ticket gates, but there were a horde of people, and though my friend frantically asked around whether anyon had seen her wallet, noone answered.

I suggested maybe the man in the gray T-Shirt knew more, and we walked back to the platform, and upon seeing us, the man pointed us in the other direction, the complete opposite direction that he had shown us just moments earlier. He was definitely a prime suspect.

We went the direction he showed us, but the platform was already deserted, so we sort of gave up and turned to sit down. Suddenly, on the bench next to us was my friend's wallet. I don't think my friend actually realised it, but it seemed too coincidental that that man in the gray T-Shirt was standing right next to the wallet when we 'found' it again. Of course all the money had disappeared, most likely in his pockets, but the credit cards and identification documents were still there. And those were more important than anything else, I guess.

Conveniently, the man who had told us to go first this way then that way, walked off and away. Somehow I know, he took the wallet. Somehow I know he is rejoicing now at his new loot, maybe even laughing at the foolish and unsuspecting tourists...

And I know that one day he will pay dearly for his petty crimes.