One day I took the minibus back from school. It was completely packed yet I somehow managed to squeeze myself in. I knew sooner or later some people would get off and per the unwritten rule of busses and minibuses everyone would gradually move towards the end of the bus and thus save me from getting crushed against the door. We had only travelled a short distance when the minibus stopped to let some passengers off. Another passenger and I stepped down to allow them to pass and as we stood there the passenger suddenly exclaimed, “What happened to my wallet? Did someone just steal it?” I wasn’t sure if he was serious or just making a not-so-comical scene about not identifying which pocket his wallet was in, however, it soon became apparent that his wallet was indeed missing.

Initially I briefly considered the possibility that he might have suspected me as the pickpocket and thus directed the earlier conversation towards me. Once we were back on the bus though he repeated his comments out loud to no one in particular, perhaps hoping someone would offer him a clue as to what might have transpired. Sure enough another passenger stepped forward.

“You see that old man there? He initially was making his way to the back but then moved towards the front again. I thought he was getting off but he didn’t and then started moving to the back again. It just seemed like an odd thing to do.”

The man considered it briefly and took a gamble on acting upon it. He approached the old man and said, “You got my wallet? Give me my wallet back.”

“What wallet? What are you talking about?”

“Stop playing around. Just give me my wallet back.”

Visibly irritated the old man responded, “I don’t have your wallet. Leave me alone.”

“Let me see your pockets.”

“Fine I’ll show you my pockets to shut you up. If someone steals your wallet they are long gone before you even realized and wouldn’t continue sharing a ride with you.” He reached into his pockets, pulled out his own wallet and some random items. “Any of these look like yours?” he sarcastically asked. He patted down his pockets for good measure.

The man doubted himself for a split second before he continued his accusations. “I know you took it. What did you do with it? Hand it off to someone?”

“Look, you are throwing accusations at me. You already searched me. Now stop harassing me before I call the cops on you.” His sentence was barely finished before someone suddenly yelled out “What’s that?” as he pointed at the old man’s pant leg and a wallet lying next to it on the ground. Attempting damage control, the old man quickly said, “There’s your wallet on the ground. I told you I didn’t have it.”

The man didn’t buy the argument for a second and showed it by smacking the old man on the back of his neck. “So you think you can steal from me?” A few more smacks followed. “We’re gonna settle this at the police station.”

“I didn’t do anything,” the old man pleaded. “I don’t know why you are all ganging up on me.”

“The wallet fell out of your pant leg,” another passenger said. “How are you gonna deny that when we all saw it?”

With the bus stopped for a different passenger, the old man tried to make his way to the door. Before he could do so, the driver grabbed the back of his coat and dragged him next to his seat. “Sit down here until this is resolved,” he told him.

“I have health problems,” the old man argued. “I really need to go.”

“Well that’s too bad,” the driver replied. He then turned to the man and said, “There’s a police station further up. I can drop you guys off there.”

As the old man remained seated and the ride continued in silence, the victim continued venting. “I’m gonna beat you. I’m gonna beat you bad before we go inside. You think you can just steal my hard-earned money?” The old man stayed silent.

We finally arrived at the police station and the minibus stopped. The man grabbed the old man’s hand to drag him out while the old man resisted and pleaded for forgiveness. As the tug of war continued at the door, the driver yelled out, “Don’t forget my fare!” Most passengers laughed at the remark while one assured the driver that he would cover both men’s fare.