Impressions

I waited patiently for my turn to receive my order for a cake as it was Christmas Eve. I had noting to do so I stared at the soap opera playing on the old monochromatic television screen.

On the corner of my eye I saw a tall and suspicious man wearing black clothes. He wore a black hat and wrapped a handkerchief over his mouth. He seemed quite strange to me. I pondered about him for a while and then resumed watching the daily soap playing on the television.

While I was engrossed watching the overacting and melodrama of the actors in the soap I felt a pat on my back. I turned around to find the same tall suspicious man standing I front of me. I was confused and frightened that why would a middle aged man want to converse with a young 13 year old girl.

I was alarmed at first but then the man introduced himself to me. He told me that he had a daughter who was about my age and I reminded him of her. We then talked for a while. Then I was called to receive my order.

The man accompanied me to the cash counter.

I paid the cashier the money and tried to pick the cake box up. It would not be a problem for me to pick up a cake box but today I had my bulky wallet in my hand. I struggled for a while and then saw the cashier looking over my shoulder at the long line of customers waiting behind me. She then signaled me to move faster.

Then the man offered to hold my wallet for me. At first I thought it was a gesture shown only by true gentlemen. I handed my wallet over to him and turned around to pick up the box of cake. As I turned around to thank him I realized I had been conned. The man had vanished in thin air.

That day I realized that the quote ‘First impressions are not the right impressions’ may not always be true.