Theft at the St. Paul Cafe

by Anne Palace (United States of America)

A leap into the unknown France

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Sometimes things are more dangerous than they look. I mean, here I am in the heart of Paris, getting my breakfast around the corner from the print shop, where my friend and I plan to print our tickets for the Catacombs, which I've been waiting to see for nearly five weeks, and the unexpected happens. I am happily drinking my coffee and eating my croissant on the second floor of the cafe St. Paul. For some reason I decide to put my purse on the floor on top of my feet. In a matter of a few split seconds, I look down, and my purse is gone. It's gone! I've been robbed just like that. I start screaming that my purse is gone with all my valuables: wallet, camera, credit cards, passports, and even keys to my apartment. The next few hours seem like a total nightmare because now instead of enjoying the rest of my day, I have to run to the nearest police station and make a report. Im crying and sad. Then, the next few days I have to run around getting my passport restored, cancelling my credit cards, and getting money wired to me. I ponder: who are these people who did this to me? Clearly, as the French police woman said: "They are professionals." I hardly saw anyone, but looking back on that brief period, I remember two short, scruffy looking guys, with baseballs caps, and dark skin standing on either side of me and sitting at the table across. I want to fight back, to chase them, to kick them, but they are long gone and there is nothing I can do. Im in a sour mood for the next few days. In the end, everything is restored and I dont really care about the 260 euros I lost, the only thing that truly hurts is that I lost my digital camera with over a thousand photos on it. To this day, I still only mourn the loss if those beautiful memories.