A not-so-bad mugging

An AP news story today said that more than 60 percent of kids are exposed to violence in their daily lives.

I remember when I was mugged as a fourth grader in St. Paul. A big girl and her pack came up to me and asked me for a nickel. I dug in my pocket for the 5 cents and then she asked for all the change in my pocket. I gave it to her and she left.

In those days I always had money. My dad gave me money all the time and I didn’t do one thing to earn it. I always had money for candy and I have the fillings to prove it.

I didn’t feel too bad after the shakedown because my other pocket had two, three times more change in it.

I told my dad later that day that the girl just got a scant handful of change but the real money was in the other pocket. He thought that was a good one.