Hugger Mugger

Last week some guy with a gun was really desperate to have my cell phone, and I didn't feel like I could say no. I also gave him $11. I would have given him more, but it was all I had.

Fortunately, a life spent playing role-playing games prepared me to deal with it.

Not because I invented an improbable heroic conclusion and then labored past good sense to enact it, but because long ago I did the thinking about this situation, so when it happened I was like, "Oh yeah, I've got a mental model for this. I'll just follow the script." I wasn't scared at any time. Mostly, I felt annoyed.

That rehearsal really shone when he demanded my wallet. I took out my waller, removed the cash, and held it out to him. He tried to argue, but the cash was closer to him than the wallet, and he already had his hands full with a cell phone and a gun, and what are you going to do? A mugger's only got two hands, man!

So he took the cash and ran, but on his way out he dropped a lighter and a some change out of his pocket. Poor planning! They'll let just anyone be an armed robber these days, I guess.

The harrowing part was that my girlfriend was on the other end of the phone at the time, and it's real horror movie stuff to have to hear that all go down and be so helpless. She said she would have been really mad at God if I had gotten killed.

I guess I would have had some questions for him too.