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My Mistake.
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Bern's Prose.
My Mistake.
The shopping centre was as usual filled with customers getting in the weeks shopping. The background music that always seemed to be switched on, playing music that I for one would have been happy not to have to listen to.
Suddenly the tannoy system became suspiciously quiet. I thought to myself now they will tell us about some product that I have never heard of and how good it would be for me to buy it.
No, the somewhat tinny voice of the shopping centre’s manager made this announcement. “Will the Mother of Jimmy James please come to the main office?
Thoughts raced through my mind, my first thought, was the boy lost, not likely in this large store teeming with people. Then I wondered had the young man stolen something, perhaps something that he could not resist the temptation to eat what ever it was that had caught his fancy.
The music blared out its awful music again. I took out the shopping list that my wife had given me before I left the house. I had gotten all of the vegetables, now the milk and butter was crossed off as I wandered through on my way to the pay desks.
The queues of people at the cash points were grumbling amongst each other. Many voices were heard with remarks such as why do they not open another cash desk. I took my place at the cash desk where a young lady with a pleasant face was busy checking out item for item from the never-ending articles that each customer had chosen.
My turn, I greeted the young lady and waited patiently until she had pushed each article through a scanner that checked each item for its price. The young lady with a smile told me the amount that my shopping was going to empty my wallet by. I paid the bill and put the items back into the trolley and walked away with a sigh of relief the shopping is over for today.
The main swing doors opened and two very large Policemen entered the store. They made their way to the Managers office. I purposely waited to see if this police entrance had any thing to do with the Tannoy announcement of one Jimmy James. Then the Police left the Managers Office accompanied by a bald headed man of about sixty. Was this the Jimmy James that the Manager had mentioned? If it was then where was his Mother?
What had Jimmy James done to be taken away by the Police? How old would his Mother be if he were as I suspected well over sixty? This gave me no peace and for days I studied the newspapers to see if the name Jimmy James was mentioned.
No mention in the newspapers and the next time that I went to the shopping centre for groceries I asked about Jimmy James. I must admit the name had somehow impressed itself in my brain. One of the cash desk ladies told me that he man that had accompanied the Police had not broken any law he had been found hiding behind some shelving that was in the process of being built.
He told the Manager that he was in the shop with his Mother. That is why the manager had made the announcement. The man Jimmy James had no means of identification the Police took Jimmy James to the local Hospital where it was found that he suffered from Alzheimer, this was not the first time that he had wandered into a shopping centre whenever he was hungry.
I thought that I had better write and tell you all about my experience in case you too come across such an event. It is not always a child that goes missing sometimes the older generation have these slight mishaps. One should always keep an open mind about such things.
