pres.umptuo.us

I love buying clothes in China. I’m walking down the steps from the second floor of the Giordano store on Beijing Road in Guangzhou, holding a shopping bag containing the pair of khakis I just had altered. As far as I can tell, all clothing stores in China will alter your clothes for no charge; Just have a salesperson measure the right length, ring them up at the register, and then drop them off and come back later.

I think to myself as I head for the exit that this better be the last time I’m in this store. I’ve been in here at least once a day for the past four days, each time coming in and hoping that I find something to buy that I missed the last visit. With the low prices of around $8 for a nice shirt, it’s best to get all I can before I get another chance to visit China again.

Before leaving the store I glance behind me to make sure my brother’s still with me. There’s a lot of people everywhere no matter where you go.

Stepping out of the store and onto the pedestrian street I can feel the difference in temperature and moisture of the night air of Guangzhou immediately. Almost all of the stores don’t have real “doors”, merely open archways, yet the air conditioning really does a lot to make the stores comfortable.

But something else grabs my attention as someone standing in front of me quickly turns and starts walking down the street at a very hurried pace. Curious.

I follow at a quick pace as I notice him get very close to a woman in front of him. She turns into a store with who appears to be her boyfriend as they look at something on sale at the front table. The suspicious man who I noticed before now slowly reaches at her bag, which she is wearing behind her and has a flap on top. He begins to lift the flap, at which point I realize I was right to be suspicious.

I don’t quite know what to do. I want to yell something, but I noticed that he had a partner who had been by his side the whole time. I think to myself that if I draw attention, I’ll either get stabbed, or they’ll run off but come after me at a later time. Probably take me into an alley and rob me or follow me back to my hotel room. And what could I yell in Chinese to get everyone’s attention on the thief?

Maybe my brother will have an idea. I turn to tell my brother what’s going on, but he’s still a ways back and a crowd of people have gotten between us. With nothing to do but watch, I turn back to make sure the pickpocket is still there.

Another couple is leaving the store, right next to where the action is. The girl leaving shouts something, which gains the attention of the pickpocket who freezes and looks at her. I get a good look at his face — He resembles Lyle Lovett, although I think it’s his poofy uncombed hair that made me think that, and his clothes are rumpled like they’ve been worn for a very long time. He has a deer in the headlights look in his eyes, and for a moment I wonder if the girl caught him in the act.

A false alarm though, and my eyes are glued on his hand, watching as it keeps going into the woman’s bag, and just when I think he’s about to get what he’s after, she turns and notices him. He draws his hand back with the speed that only an experienced thief would have, and a moment later her hand appears over the flap.

My brother appears by my side, and without pointing I say to him, “That guy just tried to steal that lady’s money.” “Huh? Where?” he says. The pickpocket takes off now with his partner in tow.

I follow them a good distance away, trying to point them out to my brother as we pursue. The pickpocket and his friend laugh and joke with each other as if nothing had happened, and then go into a Dandy Don’s Ice Cream and sidle up to the customers inside waiting in line.