THE CHAIN OF THE FISHERMAN

That evening as we were driving along my wife said “The shop StunTex is nearby. Allow me a few minutes there to see their new dresses.”

I said “Okay. But it’s near their closing time.”

I parked outside the shop and saw it had been shut.

I said “Now that we’re parked why don’t we have some ice cream? We could sit in the park opposite for a while. I feel like sitting there due to fond memories it evokes. Remember I first brought you to this park after we were engaged?”

She laughed and said “I remember more your having climbed out of the park after it was shut for the day. Your new pair of pants was soiled and ....”

“The park operator had closed it before time. Now let’s go get the ice cream.”

We bought the ice cream and took our seats on a park bench. The park looked deserted perhaps as it was late and perhaps due to covid fear. Also it was dusk and nearing closing time. We sat chatting when someone from behind tried to seize my wife’s chain and she shouted. A gruff voice from nearby said “See this dagger in my hand? Don’t shout or try to hold me. Madam give me your chain. One shout from you and you’ll be killed.”

My wife handed over the chain which he pocketed. I jumped over the bench when the assailant tried to run. I ran after him and held on to him tearing his shirt in the process. I punched him hard on the cheek and knocking the dagger from his hand seized it. I put my hands into his shorts and pulling out the chain pocketed it. The fellow never offered any resistance. I saw our assailant was an elderly fellow wearing a red cap with a covid mask on his face. I calmed my wife and said “This fellow is now my prisoner. Dial the police we’ll hand him over to them”

Suddenly Cap fell at my wife’s feet and said incoherently with tears in his eyes “Please don’t call the police. I’m a repeat offender and will surely be put away in prison. Hear my story. I was working in a shop selling rice wholesale. It was my job to lift the bags into trucks. I lacked strength to work hard and lost my job. In fact I haven’t had anything to eat since this morning. My wife has left me. So has my son.”

I could see that my wife was inclined to let Cap go. She said to Cap “How will you survive if we let you go?”

Cap said “I wish I knew. I’m a fisherman and will probably go back to my profession.”

I also felt sorry for the fellow and thought he would reform. My wife whispered “He’s an elderly fellow and says he has had nothing to eat all day. Give him some money and let him go.”

I pulled out money from my purse and offered it to him. He said “I’m sorry for having tried to rob your wife. I won’t take money from you. I consider your merely letting me off as a great favour.”

My wife said “You look emaciated. You must eat. Take the money and get something to fill your stomach.”

He again fell at my feet and started running away. I went after him and dragged him back. I felt really sorry for the fellow and thinking that the money I had offered him was small, I increased the amount and offered it. But he refused the money. In a moment he ran away and I saw him leaving the park.

As we prepared to leave, the park caretaker came to check if the place was empty. I noticed that he had a name plate on his uniform. He was Singh.

I spoke to Singh. I said “There was an old fellow with a red cap who was running out. You must’ve seen him.”

“Yes. He’s a beggar. He often begs from people in the park. I know he needs money for liquor.”

I said “He told me he worked in the shop of a rice wholesaler.”

Singh laughed and said “He has told people he was a fisherman and would be going back to his profession. He seized a packet of chips from a child in this park and the parents bought him a string of the stuff as he was starving. He must’ve eaten the chips with his liquor.”

“Weren’t there any complaints of violence against him?”

“Not so far as I know. I’ve heard he has never worked anywhere. I came to know he tells a different story every time about his poverty. I don’t even know his name.”

“May be police have some record on him.”

“I don’t think so. He has never been violent. He begs and may be he steals.”

“You’re wrong. He threatened us with a dagger.”

“Did you get hold of the dagger?”

“Here it is.”

Singh examined the dagger and said “This is mine. Someone had stolen it. You can see my initials on the handle.”

“You can have it.”

“Thanks. I try to prevent that red cap from coming here but he comes. I can’t help it. People see through his pranks and let him go. He is a good actor.”

“Where does he live?”

“Nobody knows. He keeps saying his wife and son have abandoned him but I don’t believe it. But he isn’t a bad fellow. When the gardener who works here wanted to kill his wife as he suspected her fidelity, this chap helped them to make up. It’s getting late. I must close.”

My wife and I walked out of the park. We expected to see the red Cap but we didn’t. After we had got into the car I remembered the chain. I pulled it out and gave it to her.

She said “How is it there’re 2 chains here?”

“That’s what I pulled out of that fellow’s pocket.”

“To tell you the truth the chain I had given to the fellow was an imitation. Having read about so many cases of chain snatching I had put on a fake chain. My gold chain is in my handbag.”

.”

The next day I got the seized chain from red cap valued and was told it was of 22K purity and costly due to its weight. My wife said “I’ve gold chains and don’t need this seized one.”

I am holding the 22K chain. How red Cap got it is a mystery!

END

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