She heard about the joys of the Mexican Pacific coast from her friends in Winnipeg.
Longing to escape the Canadian plains winters, she dreamed of warm beaches and hemmorhaging sunsets. While her job kept her captive in the howling winters of her discontent.
But she was free to travel in the summer. And travel she did.
She went online and rented an isolated beach house for a week. It cost more than she wanted to pay. But this was her dream vacation.
Because she knew nothing of the local area, she had read up on a local internet board about what she should do to enjoy her vacation. One handy suggestion: stop at a large store on your way in from the airport to buy groceries for the week.
On the appointed day, her flight arrived on time. She had no trouble renting her car, and she was on her way. She found the store and bought everything she needed.
When she came out of the store, four or five children surrounded her offering to help her with her cart. She was initially caught off guard. But she was charmed.
She directed them to her car and opened the trunk. The children vied with one another to be helpful. Little hands darting all over.
She was not naive -- at least, in knowing what the children expected: a tip. She opened her purse, pulled out her coin purse, and set her purse on the bumper of the car.
The little girl, who appeared to be directing the operation, caught her attention. As the woman looked in her coin purse, while watching what the little girl was doing, another little hand entered the woman's purse.
A man sitting in the parking lot had watched the entire drama from the point the children first contacted the woman. When the hand entered the purse, he jumped out of his truck and yelled in Spanish.
The children scattered. The woman went into defense mode -- having no idea what was happening. All she knew was an upset man was running toward her yelling in Spanish.
The man explained what he saw and asked her to talk to the store manager. He was convinced the group of children had been doing the same thing in the parking lot for some time.
But she was on a dream vacation that did not include chastising charming children.
This little tale did not happen in Rome or Bucharest or Denver -- even though it could have. Every city has its share of petty crime.
And children are too often used to commit those crimes. This tale occurred near the area I live. I have seen those children. They are at the store even during school hours.
And that is the tragedy. It is easy enough for people with money simply to be more careful with billfolds and purses. That is mere common sense.
What they cannot do is address the underlying issue. Without hope -- without an education -- these children will never be anything other than petty criminals.
There are plenty of young Mexicans who are headed to marvelous careers in a middle-class Mexico. It is sad that some will be left behind.
Longing to escape the Canadian plains winters, she dreamed of warm beaches and hemmorhaging sunsets. While her job kept her captive in the howling winters of her discontent.
But she was free to travel in the summer. And travel she did.
She went online and rented an isolated beach house for a week. It cost more than she wanted to pay. But this was her dream vacation.
Because she knew nothing of the local area, she had read up on a local internet board about what she should do to enjoy her vacation. One handy suggestion: stop at a large store on your way in from the airport to buy groceries for the week.
On the appointed day, her flight arrived on time. She had no trouble renting her car, and she was on her way. She found the store and bought everything she needed.
When she came out of the store, four or five children surrounded her offering to help her with her cart. She was initially caught off guard. But she was charmed.
She directed them to her car and opened the trunk. The children vied with one another to be helpful. Little hands darting all over.
She was not naive -- at least, in knowing what the children expected: a tip. She opened her purse, pulled out her coin purse, and set her purse on the bumper of the car.
The little girl, who appeared to be directing the operation, caught her attention. As the woman looked in her coin purse, while watching what the little girl was doing, another little hand entered the woman's purse.
A man sitting in the parking lot had watched the entire drama from the point the children first contacted the woman. When the hand entered the purse, he jumped out of his truck and yelled in Spanish.
The children scattered. The woman went into defense mode -- having no idea what was happening. All she knew was an upset man was running toward her yelling in Spanish.
The man explained what he saw and asked her to talk to the store manager. He was convinced the group of children had been doing the same thing in the parking lot for some time.
But she was on a dream vacation that did not include chastising charming children.
This little tale did not happen in Rome or Bucharest or Denver -- even though it could have. Every city has its share of petty crime.
And children are too often used to commit those crimes. This tale occurred near the area I live. I have seen those children. They are at the store even during school hours.
And that is the tragedy. It is easy enough for people with money simply to be more careful with billfolds and purses. That is mere common sense.
What they cannot do is address the underlying issue. Without hope -- without an education -- these children will never be anything other than petty criminals.
There are plenty of young Mexicans who are headed to marvelous careers in a middle-class Mexico. It is sad that some will be left behind.
