A Day In The Life Of A Cat

Once a thief...

Always a thief?

I don't think so. Well, not in my case at least.

I got some email that made me think about this. When I was about 9 or 10....maybe a little younger even, I played with these two sisters that lived across the street from my house. They were a little on the delinquent side. One sister was my age and the other was about 3 years older. Right around Christmas they invited me to go shopping with them up at Thrifty's (now known as Rtie Aid). I went along and found out we were going shoplifting! I was scared and excited all at the same time. When we got there, the store employees started tailing the older sister right away. She must have been a "regular" there. That left the younger sister and me pretty much unwatched. This place had all that cheap jewelry that young girls look at and swoon over. I saw this really awful bracelet that was made of yellow and white beads the size of your eyeballs. I call it awful now, but back then I remember gasping and thinking that would be perfect for my Mom for Christmas! Thank goodness my taste in jewelry has improved! I eyed it for a good five minutes before I put it in my pocket. Then I took it out and put it back. Then put it back in my pocket again a few minutes later. These sales people were worthless at security. For as many times as I took it in and out of my pocket, they should have caught me at least once!

But when it came down to really stealing it, I just couldn't do it. Frustrated and annoyed at my conscious talking to me, the younger sister took the bracelet and stuffed it in her pocket. She was concerned someone would notice my inability to make a shoplifting decision. When we walked out, I was never so scared in my life. She gave me the bracelet when we were no longer in sight. Part of me was on this high from getting away with it, and part of me knew it was really wrong. But the sisters didn't seem to see the wrong side of it, so that helped me feel less guilty. I was so excited to give my Mom real jewelry and not something made from string and macaroni!

I got home and wrapped it up and tootled right out and told my Mom to check under the Christmas tree for a new gift. She did the whole ritual of shaking it, taking a few guesses, and looking excited. I'm sure she thought it was a bunch of little rocks I'd found in the canyon and panted to look like lady bugs....a common gift I gave everyone. I was so excited that I could hardly stand it.

I woke up that night and burst out crying. My conscious had been working overtime on me. I felt terrible and went in and woke my Mom up and made her come out to the tree and open the gift I'd been so excited about that afternoon. When she saw it, she asked where I had got it from. Somehow thru all the tears, I managed to tell her the whole story of my shoplifting trip. She hugged me and told me she wasn't mad, but that I had to give the bracelet back to the sisters. I did so the very next day. And I was forbidden to go to the store with them ever again. Tho that wasn't a problem, I had no desire to go again.

I'm a little surprised she didn't make me return it to the store, but I guess if I had, I might have got into trouble or been forbidden to go in the store again. I think she knew I felt like scum of the earth and that was enough punishment.

I've never talked to her about that. I wonder if she remembers....