Similar to the Christmas sales or shopping centre celebrity appearances, everyone started jostling for the best spot and the top picks. Strawberries, bunches of basil and Pink Lady apples ripe (or was that over-ripe?) for the picking.
Three quarters of my way through loading my bag, I noticed a man in his 40’s, tattoos on his wrists, potbelly and gold chains. Could have come from the cast of UnderBelly. I’ll call him ‘Mr. Mafia.’ Opposite him, eager to grab strawberries, was a pale, receding nervous kind of man. His character name is ‘Pasty’ and I’d probably script him in Silence of the Lambs. Mr. Mafia wasn’t pleased when Pasty knocked his wrist as they contested for strawberries: “Watch it mate,” he boomed. Pasty just shot back the F-bomb and from there it was a war of words with Mr. Mafia goading him and challenging him to fisticuffs.
I’ve always thought that our local centre is getting more ‘common’ by the day, but there I was at 3.30pm on a Saturday afternoon, hiding behind the snowpeas and fennel on the reduced rack as two grown men went blow for blow, almost knocking a baby out of her trolley.
I witnessed the whole thing, the unpleasant exchange and the pale and seemingly unstable man pushed to breaking point by some standover man trying to prove a point and incite conflict.
When the police arrived and Pasty stood there with blood trickling down his balded scalp, Mr. Mafia tried the “I only asked him to watch it mate” line.
Only said it at the start. Yes. But then went on to torment him and cause my quiet surburban Safeway to flood with spectators. He could have said “watch it mate” and moved on but that was just his opening round.
When I relayed my statement to police, I was so pleased to see that the policeman had worked out who was the real aggressor. I’d done my bit for the marginalized in our community and still managed to get my $2 fill of strawberries and Pink Ladies – and fennel for good measure!
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