If a person tries to rob a bank but leaves with no money and less dignity, has a crime been committed? I'll have to ask my friend who was there. Have I got a story for you...

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Musings

On Fridays, I help out at the front desk of the Great Lakes Antique Mall, where I have a small booth filled with bits and bobs of yesteryear. In the summer months, I work with Chuck.

Chuck is a wonder. He has done... well, practically everything, from being a car salesman, to playing in a band, to being a licensed clown, a professional magician, a CPA, and a casino dealer. He will talk to anyone and has a story (and an incredibly lame joke) for every occasion.

A few weeks ago, on my way to work, I was surprised to see a veritable swarm of police cars. In my tiny hometown, seeing more than two cop cars at a time is rare. Seeing a whole herd of them in the wild is cause for genuine concern.

By the time I got to town (3 city blocks including a theatre, two banks, two bars, a hardware store, a Mexican restaurant, a Subway, and a Dollar Store), the place was practically crawling with police.

"Sorry I'm late," I said as I finally got to the antique mall. "There were cops everywhere!"

"I know," Chuck said calmly. "Someone robbed the bank. AND I WAS THERE!"

!!!

He proceeded to say that he'd been standing at one of the teller's windows, talking to her and to some people from corporate who were there observing when suddenly a guy came in with a baseball cap on his head and women's underwear as a face mask.

He went to the open teller window, which happened to be where the observers were standing.

"He had a red backpack that he threw down and said, 'Fill that with money!'" said Chuck.

"We can't," the corporate guys said. "We don't have any cash boxes here." (Which was true, since they weren't actually tellers.)

So the guy grabbed his backpack and left!

He evidently barricaded himself in his home and was apprehended shortly afterward.

I listened with the wide eyes and open mouth of a recently landed sunfish.

Whaaaaa??!!

Now, I confess, the teensiest part of men wondered if perhaps Chuck was making some of this up. Turns out, not only did he tell the truth, but there's even more...

A few days later, I was making a deposit and happened to make my transaction with the teller Chuck had been speaking with.

"I heard you had some drama here last Friday," I said.

She nodded. "I'm so glad Chuck was here," she said.

(Everyone knows Chuck. Everyone.)

"I've been robbed at gunpoint twice," she told me. "So when the guy came in, I saw what was about to happen and I just froze. If Chuck hadn't been at my window, I'd have been open and he'd have come to me. Chuck protected me."

Which just goes to show you that sometimes all it takes to be a hero is being yourself, being friendly, and talking to folks while you're out and about.

Who knew?

MuseNews

Spring has truly sprung here, as evidenced by the torrential rain we've been having, some of which has found its way into the basement of my ancient farmhouse. ::sigh::

It's so nice to be able to sit on the porch—my "summer office—and work while the dogs keep a watchful eye on the neighbors.

The peepers are out. The chickens and duck are enjoying the bumper crop of fat worms. And the dogs are joyfully tracking mud into the house every time they come back in from outside.

Not complaining, though.

It's better than snow!

Book Report

Regular readers know that I am always reading a Terry Pratchett book. The latest is The Last Hero, published in 2001, more novella than novel and the 27th Discworld book.

It was the perfect book to read after a recent robbery attempt. It features all the regular Discworld characters (including Rincewind the Magician and Leonard of Quirm—Discworld's version of Leonardo da Vinci—two of my favorites) as they try to keep old Cohen the Barbarian and his geriatric Silver Horde from delivering a bomb to the house of the gods and ending the world.

It's a story about pushing the envelope of science, of trusting the untrustworthy, of living life to the fullest, and of going out with a bang because the alternative is a nightmare.

Most Discworld books aren't illustrated, but The Last Hero features stunning full-color illustrations by Paul Kidby. The illustrations are lovely, but since I feel like I've known these characters for years, they often feel like I'm looking at a movie with casting I'd have quibbled with.

Like every Discworld book, it makes me laugh out loud. Pratchett was a true master of his craft.

Next Week:

Writing is the closest thing humanity has to immortality. The first named author lived more than 4,300 years ago, and their words still resonate. Have I got a story for you...

Till next week,

Be kind to your teller. Tip your waitress. You never know when being friendly could change a person's life for the better.

I love you all!

Ami

Ami Hendrickson
​Book Coach, Author, Editor, and Corgi Mom
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