oely Wrote:
Im curious also. There are that many stories that come from this city.
The (long) story.

Mid 1980's. I was backpacking in Europe. I had been travelling with
girl from Finland for a few days. We had checked out of ou
accommodation and went separate directions that morning. I was to catc
a train that night. I had a bad cold so I spent the day doing laz
things around the station area. Coffee, watching buskers, chatting t
other travellers. It started to get chilly so I sought the refuge o
the station waiting room where I read a book

While I was waiting, a chap about my own age with an American accen
approached me. He was in quite an agitated state. He told me a sa
story of having his wallet and all his credit cards, airline ticket
papers etc stolen and needing to get a train to Belgium where he ha
family and could get his airline ticket replaced.

He asked if I could help him out with some money which he would arrang
for American Express to replay to me at my next destination (of course)
I was sympathetic, but I am also naturally wary and cynical. I gav
him the equivalent of A$10. I thought that if he was conning me, I wa
not going to miss that amount, but if he really was in genuine distress
It might go a little way to helping

He got some money from other people who were waiting and then left.
went back to my book

20 minutes later, he was back. This time being held by the scruff o
the neck by a chap in a leather jacket and sunglasses. The leathe
jacket introduced himself as a policeman and told me that his charg
was a junkie who scabbed money off travellers to buy his next fix. Hi
parents were American and Dutch, hence the American accent. It appeare
that he was a pest who was known to the police

The cop asked if I would make a statement detailing what had happened.
I agreed and went to the police office in/near the station. The co
typed up my statement. In Dutch. He read it back in English and aske
me to sign it. I don't speak Dutch. I do speak German so I could gues
some of what was on the statement. Before I would sign it, I demande
that the cop also type "as translated into English and read to th
signatory in English by........" and that the cop put his signature t
the translation. He did, and I then signed it. While all this wa
happening I got coffee and biscuits from the cops. And I got to sit i
a warm police station

I then went back to the waiting room to read my book and wait for m
train. Half an hour into the book, my junkie 'mate' arrived again

He had come to apologise. I said "thanks for the apology now fec
off". He did

Another half hour later he came back, this time with a can of Heineke
as a peace offering and a lament along the lines of "I'm sorry, I wan
to be your friend" . This time I spoke much softer but when I told hi
to "Feck Off" he knew I was serious and he never came back

(And I never got my money back either

Steve

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SteveA