Yesterday I wrote about two thieves and a businessman and you can see from the title of today’s Rx I am now writing about two Businessmen and one thief. I did not intend a sequel, but the Universe had more to say on the topic, and as usual, I am a willing scribe.
You may remember that one of the thieves I described yesterday, had stolen a purse from my co-worker whose name is Jane . I was doubly distressed about this theft because I saw it happen. I was in a meeting in my conference room when I looked up into the hallway to see a tall scruffy looking man walk into Jane’s office. My mental response to what I was seeing was the thought that Jane had a rather rough-looking client to contend with. I did not realize that Jane was not in her office, but instead in another part of the building. I gave the matter no more thought. About 10 minutes later Jane returned to her office to find her desk disheveled and her purse gone. That is when I realized the scruffy looking ‘client’ I saw walk into Jane’s office, was actually a thief. The police were called, and I gave my description to them; tall, thin male, wearing shabby clothing and a dark blue jacket. They would investigate, but there was not much to go on.
Yesterday, shortly after walking into my office, the police once again arrived. They had a half-dozen very clear pictures of a man at an ATM machine. They asked me if this looked like the same man I had seen. I did not hesitate to answer ‘NO’. The photos the officer held up for me to look at showed a rather dapper looking man wearing a suit and tie. He even had a briefcase/book-bag hanging limply off one shoulder. The officer asked if I was certain this was not the man I saw walk into my colleagues office. I responded by saying that the hair color and features looked right, but the man I saw was dressed in shabby and rumpled clothes. The officer laughed as he replied, “Well I guess he decided he wanted to be a businessman, because an hour before this photo was taken, he used this same credit card at Macy’s to purchase a $1,000 suit.’
Whoa! I took a long hard look at the picture which showed a well dressed man swiping my co-workers Visa card through a machine. I immediately heard the moral to the Universe’s story; Sometimes the only thing that separates a thief from a taker who calls himself a shrewd businessman. . . is the jacket he chooses to wear.