loss prevention

I usually have a line drawn at a certain place that I wish not to cross.

The boundary is there to keep me from getting too involved.

Trouble is that often I step over that line, sometimes I can cross back, other times I cannot.

Sometimes, crossing that line is an accidental thing, sometimes I get carried over by momentum, sometimes crossing that line is a purposeful thing.

I was asked to pick up Little g again this past Saturday, so I did. Driving her home I received a phone call.

“I’m looking for *Green Catfish*”

It was a voice a didn’t recognize.

“That’s me”

“I’m Detective *So-n-so* with *some department store’s* Loss Prevention Division. Do you know *Miss E*?”

Miss E is Little g’s older sister

“Yes, I do”

“Do you know how I can get in touch with her mother?”

“I believe she’s at work”

“Yeah, I can’t seem to reach her. Are you a good friend of the family?”

“Yeah, I guess. I’m driving her little sister home as we speak”

“Well, Miss E was seen trying to remove an item from the store without paying for it. Can you come by and pick her up?”

“I’ll be right there”

I was told the address and to ask for Loss Prevention when I got there. The store was in a busy shopping area but I was lucky enough to get a metered spot. I entered the store looked around and headed towards the back. As I approached the door that was my best guess for Loss Prevention, out came the detective and he nodded me in. I guess he was watching the doors from the surveillance cameras.

I followed him into a small room with had a wall full of tv screens all showing different camera shots. Miss E was sitting at the far end of the narrow room. I didn’t look her in the eye, I couldn’t, so I don’t know if she even looked at me.

The detective showed me the item, a pink purse type thing for $21.50 or something like that, he told me she removed the tags and tucked it under her arm, under her coat.

He also told me if the corporation chooses to pursue the issue it could cost her mother $250. I then printed my name and signed my signature and said “Thank you”

During the process, I did happen to glance at Miss E, she wasn’t looking anywhere near me.

The whole time driving there Little g was asking what was going on, I told her the minimum and after we left the store she sort of figured it out. She later asked for a confirmation, once we were along, I told her she wasn’t going to get one from me.

During the whole trip home I said nothing, she said nothing, Little g thankfully said nothing.

I said nothing because I didn’t know what to say. I wasn’t angry, I wasn’t even disappointed, I was surprised.

I didn’t think she was stealing because she had no money and she was alone she I didn’t think it was peer pressure. So, I asked myself if she was doing it for attention.

Her mom works nights and weekends with Tuesdays and Wednesdays off. I spend some time with Little g because circumstances require it. Miss E will be seventeen at the end of May, I usually leave her to herself because I can’t imagine she would like hanging about with her mother’s boyfriend. I always try to accommodate her when she needs something, like a ride somewhere or maybe a few bucks but other than that there isn’t much.

Her mother isn’t supposed to take phone calls at work so I held off on calling her, she can send and receive calls on her breaks but I never know when they are but after a couple hours of debate I called her cell phone hoping to get voice mail.

The phone rang four times, the fifth ring goes to voice mail but Lady G picked up.

“Hey, what’s up?”

“Call me when you can”

“Is it important?”

“Yeah, but nothing that can’t wait”

“Tell me now”

“It can wait”

Then there was a series of motherly questions and I told her all that happened.

“You shouldn’t have told me until later” she said.

“That’s why I wanted you to call me when you got a chance, but I didn’t know if the detective left you a message or not and I didn’t want you to go home all mad”

She told me to call Miss E’s grandmother to tell her what happened just as the phone cut out.

She called me back and asked it Miss E thanked me for picking her up. I told her neither of us said anything to each other. I said: my concern was getting her out of there and back home, to which she said: she should have thanked you because if I had to leave work to pick her up she would be dead, and then the phone cut out again.

She called me back again after a few minutes and asked for some further details and if I had called her grandmother.

“I didn’t call” I said.

“Why not”

“Because what good would that do?”

“Because her grandmother was planning to send her on a college tour that costs $1600, and now she might not want to send her”

“Is that best for Miss E?”

I knew asking that question was like poking a bear with a short stick, mothers usually don’t like their parenting skills questioned, not by anyone.

I caught some shit, pretty close to the amount I thought I would.

I was prepared to say even more things that would most likely land me in hot water but I really didn’t see an opening before the phone cut out again.


what's more important

her

or

my relationship with her mother


Is it really my place to say anything?


That's where I have the line drawn comes in.

And also the difference between where the line is and where it possibly should be

I wish I knew where some sixteen year old girl wanted that line drawn because then what I think really doesn't matter. The trouble is finding out will most likely take a rather large step over my line and there will most likely be no backward step this time.