The same policeman questioned me twice

 In the beginning of 2000, when I lived in OSAKA, I had a strange experience.

 In those days I didn’t have a washing machine. So I used to go a coin-operated laundry shop by bicycle every weekend.

 The first police questioning was in front of the laundry shop. That was ordinary police questioning.

 A few weeks later the same policeman questioned me again at the same location. I was sure he was the same person but he seemed to have forgotten me. He questioned me as if I was a new person. I started to feel funny. I waited until remembered me as I answered the questions. Finally he said:

“Have we met before?”

I answered:

“Finally you have remembered!”

He started to be friendly to me. Then I asked him a question.

“You have questioned me twice. I guess you thought I was a suspicious person. Could you tell me about me made you so suspicious? If I seem suspicious, I want to change.”

 I know I am not good looking guy but I believe I create a first impression of being a good person. Some people tend to doubt my intelligence but rarely doubt my good personality at the first meeting. So I was shocked to have been suspected by the policeman. He said:

“No, no, no, no. I didn’t mean that. Just your bicycle is…”

  That was the point. In those days, I was not well off. I didn’t have enough money to buy a new bicycle. So I bought a secondhand bicycle. I bought the cheapest bicycle in the shop. The color of the bicycle happened to be pink.

“Considering your age and gender, it is hard to think you chose a pink bicycle in a shop. I suspected you had stolen the bicycle.”

He didn’t suspect me because of my facial features, so he couldn’t remember my face. He was just trying to catch a bicycle thief.

 Hey! Mr. Policeman! You should look for a more serious crime!

 

Photo by　Dachs