STANDING TOGETHER (2)

Val and I were staying for the weekend with our daughter Rebeccah in the Auckland suburb of Point Chevalier. The local superette across the road had recently been ram raided. The owner was hit on his head with an iron bar and his forehead still bears the scars. 

He is a kind, caring man who treats the public with smiles and witty conversation. His wife also works in the shop although mostly at different times of the day. A bit like a tag team really. 

First thing on the Saturday morning I started walking over the road to buy a newspaper from them. As I approached, I noticed two men standing outside. Nothing unusual about that, but at that moment it just didn’t feel right. My sense of caution intensified. Walking up to the shop entrance, I could see the owners wife staring at me with terror-filled eyes. In that moment I had a choice. I could walk away or I could stay and somehow help her. 

The two men had now gone inside. Time to approach them. They looked angry and weren’t making any sense in what they were saying. Their bandanas were now being adjusted across their faces and furtive looks from them further raised the tension. The owner now had joined his wife and me and we stood together. A staring, glaring ‘competition’ began… The men kept looking up at the security cameras and at us. I felt my fists clenching and unclenching and my pulse rate climbing. One can only imagine how the shop owner and his wife were feeling. We stood our ground and the two men didn’t. They were gone, running to their car and driving off as though they were being chased. An older woman at a nearby bus stop called out, “They’re bad men, bad men!” The relief for us was palpable and the owner kept on saying, “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”  I often think about that morning. I just went to buy a newspaper and look what happened…

POINTS to PONDER
Empathy and collective courage go together.  
Follow your heart and instincts when faced with a similar situation.
Take action. Call for help. Do something.