Thief by Robley Wilson
"Thief" by Robley Wilson is a narrative centered around an encounter at an airport that spirals into a complex situation involving attraction and theft. The story follows a man who becomes infatuated with a striking young woman while waiting at an airline ticket counter. His admiration turns to frustration when he discovers his wallet has been stolen, leading him to suspect the woman he was watching. As he confronts her, the situation escalates when he erroneously ends up with a different woman's wallet after she accuses him of theft.
This encounter not only highlights themes of desire and deception but also reflects the implications of misunderstandings and the consequences of accusations. The man ultimately faces a tangled web of emotions—embarrassment, rage, and guilt—especially after his wallet is returned to him sans funds. The story poignantly explores the lasting psychological effects of such interactions, particularly regarding gender dynamics and societal perceptions. Wilson’s work invites reflection on the nature of trust and the ease with which circumstances can lead to misjudgment.
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Thief by Robley Wilson
First published: 1980
Type of plot: Fable
Time of work: The 1980's
Locale: An airport
Principal Characters:
An unnamed man , waiting for a planeA woman with black hair A woman with blond hair
The Story
A man waiting at an airline ticket counter sees a beautiful, black-haired young woman and stares at her in an openly admiring way. She sees him and looks away. Later, while having a drink in the airport bar, he sees her again, this time talking to a blond woman. He wants to attract her attention and buy her a drink, but he cannot catch her eye. The third time he sees her, he is buying a magazine, and she jostles him. When he remarks, "busy place," she blushes, frowns, and vanishes in the crowd.
This seems like the end of the encounter, until the man reaches in his back pocket for his wallet and realizes that it is missing. He thinks about the credit cards, the money, and the identification in it, and all at once knows that the black-haired woman has picked his pocket. As he considers the difficult process of canceling the cards and getting new identification, he feels suffocated and wonders what he should do. He curses the woman for pretending to be attentive to him, for letting herself stand so close, and for blushing—not out of shyness—but out of anxiety over being caught. Just as he decides to report the incident to a guard, he sees the woman sitting in the terminal reading a book.
When the man sits down and says he has been looking for her, she claims that she does not know him and accuses him of trying to pick her up. He accuses her of stealing his wallet and demands its return. Although the woman first denies it, she then takes a wallet out of her purse, gives it to the man, and runs away. Realizing that it is not his wallet, the man chases her through the crowd, until he hears a woman's voice behind him crying, "Stop, thief! Stop that man." A young marine trips him and he falls. The woman who has been chasing him is the blond whom he saw the brunette talking to earlier, and she has a police officer with her. The blond accuses the man of stealing her wallet, and indeed the wallet the black-haired woman has given him belongs to the blond.
Two weeks later, after the embarrassment and rage are gone and his lawyer has been paid, the man gets his wallet back in the mail, with no money or credit cards missing. Although he is relieved, he knows that he will feel guilty around police officers and ashamed in the presence of women for the rest of his life.