Cigarettes are Dangerous
May 13, 2007
The other day my friend was out of cigarettes, so he went to a nearby grocery shop to get his dose. The shop was not at all crowded; excluding my friend, there was this old lady, and a few kids deciding on which ice-creams they should buy. Owh, the shop owner is an old apek (old Chinese man). Being the only chap in that shop at that particular time, we could assume that my friend here is THE alpha male.
My friend went to the counter to get his cigarettes, when all of a sudden, 3 hostile parang-wielding guys entered the shop. (parang = long knife)
“Nobody panic, nobody move! This is a robbery!” The robbers wore pantyhose as masks. Robber 1 guarded the door, making sure nobody tries to run outside, while Robber 2 instructed all customers to gather at one spot, and Robber 3 went to the counter, put his parang at the apek’s neck, and instructed him to put all the money from the cash register into his bag. “Hurry up!” the robber yelled again.
My friend, the old lady, and the 3 kids just stood there, witnessing everything. After they got the money, the 3 robbers fled the scene. It was over in just about 5 minutes.
After the robbery, business runs like normal again. As for the shop owner, I think he’s got nothing to be miserable about as the insurance company will surely compensate his stolen money, and hey, he could even get more than the money that was robbed!
I personally think it is a good thing that my friend did not try to act as a heroic alpha male at that scene. If he tries anything, the robber might get infuriated, and in desperation, people might get hurt. Apart from the parangs and the verbal hostility, I think everything else went well and in a peaceful manner. No one was injured, and right after the robber fled the shop, my friend bought his pack of Winston 20’s and went home, smoking his life away… :p
NOTE TO SELF: Cigarettes could put you in a dangerous situation!
