There's always a first time for everything

I've been recently too busy having a life to blog.. or rather, slaving away at my course to have time to do anything else.

But I witnessed my first bank robbery today!

I was at HSBC going to collect my debit card which i lost two weeks ago amidst drunken-ness and there was this huge bloke standing behind me. The strange thing was I had such a funny vibe when I stepped into the bank this morning... like something was going to happen. And careless me was actually clutching my bag really tightly for no apparent reason, probably due to the subconscious.

This African guy was standing behind me and we made small conversation before this even larger 6 foot man in a baseball cap stood behind me. i was too cautious to turn around and look at him, but i could see him at the reflection of the bank counter and i thought to myself he looks really rough. then the bank security guy comes into the bank and is putting big bags of money into the chute really carefully. when he removes the money from the third safe box, this 6-foot guy lunges at him and grabs the money bag. i was so stunned. there was a mad scramble. there were many men standing at the entrance to the bank and they clambered to stop him. the african guy whom i was speaking to, managed to rip the surface of this yellow overcoat he was wearing. but he had an accomplice at the door who opened it for him to escape. there was some chasing but the guy ran so fast, he got away with the bag of money and we were all left stunned in the bank. and locked in.

the police were called in but they took ages to arrive and in the midst of it, the only thought that kept flashing through my mind was: grab a pen!
how silly, on hindsight. that guy could have been armed and someone could have been stabbed or injured. and at the aftermath, all i wanted to do was ask, how much money was in the bag, whether i could get any witnessess' names (well, i guess i got my own name)... when i should be glad no one was injured and i was alive to tell the story!

I left after telling the bank staff that i had to go on campus - i DID have to send in a report due today. and when I exited the bank, I still only had 4 quid in my wallet, still debit card-less. I walked back in jitters feeling all the time I was walking back, that I might get stabbed from behind at anytime. I passed this dark looking bloke who was covered from head to toe, wearing a hoodie over his head and with huge sunglasses covering his face, looking down on the pavement, on a rainy day. And he looked so dodgy I thought he was going to step out and brandish a gun to demand my money.

But I got home okay and got my report in.

I only wish it happened after I got my debit card.

What a morning.