Your Money or Your Life
Posted in Blog by: Lottie(Don’t worry – overly dramatic post title)
Over drinks in The Market Bar on Tuesday night Darragh commented to me that I had not written anything of a private or personal nature in a while. I responded by saying that I had scrapped the bottom of the barrel on my well of personal stories of woe and now You-Tube was my only creative outlet.
Then this morning Tina put up a post which reminded me of my own experiences.
Many years ago I worked in a marketing company on Ushers Quay. The days were long and we generally finished at 9pm at night if not later. Being young, having no commitments and being flushed from my new “grown up” job I usually headed to the bar with co-workers after work where we would dance the night away finishing just in time to haul my bottom back into work the next day.
On this particular night, I chose not to go a-partaying and proceeded down the quays. Alone. I never had a fear of the quays and thought nothing of taking out my lovely new phone from my lovely new bag and chatting away about my lovely new life. Life was good.
As I regaled my friend with the days activities I felt an arm come around my neck from behind. For the briefest of moments I assumed it was my Boyfriends arm (we both worked for the same company and he had been running late getting back to the office). Suddenly I was being dragged backwards by a force that was far too rough to be my beloved. My lovely new phone was whipped from my hand and then I realised what was happening. I was being mugged. Wonderful.
There were three “assailants”. You can picture them- all no older that 20. Tracksuits and shell jackets with baseball caps. They grabbed my phone. They pulled at my bag but as it was an over the shoulder type bag I had wrapped it across my neck. I didn’t fight but the bag was positioned in such a way that it wouldn’t come loose. This angered them.
Then, lets call him shell suit #1 produced a blade. It may have been a pen knife but I can’t recall. I think I went into an immediate state of shock and started to scream. My vision tunneled. The quays were empty and here was I was being pulled down an alcove and shoved against a wall. They were going to rape and kill me and leave me to be found my some poor Dublin corporation bin man on his morning rounds. And I had granny knickers on.
Then out of no-where came my American knights in shinning armour. A couple in their thirties, obviously tourists, came running towards me shouting at my attackers. Perhaps realising that the situation may become too much for them to handle, the boys took what they could and fled.
Still in shock and pride beaten down I refused any further assistance from the couple, thanked them (I hope) and went on my way. I finally broke down when I reached the noise and hussle of Temple Bar and a kind Taxi Driver saw my disheveled state, stopped and gave me his phone so that I could ring my Boyfriend.
The rest of the evening is a bit of a blur. I called the police to report it. Called Vodafone to lock my phone. And I sat at home,licking my wounds (which was only a few bruises, a bruised ego and a gash on my forehead) until the BF got home to comfort me.
I have never told my mum of this, for fear that she would have hauled me kicking a screaming back to bogland and locked me in my room for safe keeping. I know that Darren will get upset reading this – but please don’t. There was nothing you could have done and I don’t like cotton wool.
The moral of the story children? Never diss Americans.
August 20th, 2008 at 10:19 pm
Yipes Lottie!
After reading that I called Deb… just to make sure she was okay. (I know that’s ridiculous and I’m not a fan of cotton wool but still I called)
August 20th, 2008 at 10:31 pm
Still, I’m sorry I wasn’t there and I’m sorry I couldn’t do more. It’s not fair that you had to go through that crap.
August 20th, 2008 at 10:32 pm
What an experience althought I bust out laughing at the moral of the story.
Must have been terrifying for you and left you feeling so vulnerable afterwards. Great to hear the American couple were able to come to your aid as others may have just walked on and let you handle your own troubles.
It happened the one night you didn’t go out too, there another lesson there somewhere but I’m not going to go spelling it out!
August 20th, 2008 at 10:34 pm
None too pleasant. Being male, average height, short hair and large of shoulder I have not encountered such delights (so far, touch wood)
August 20th, 2008 at 10:35 pm
Wow that is my worst nightmare. I would be totally begging them to let me keep my sim card. I’m glad you made it okay and God Bless Americans.
August 20th, 2008 at 10:35 pm
Hmmmm. In some spheres of existence I’ll grant you. In every way conceivable? No. In point of fact I’m fairly sure that when ladies make a statement of that nature they are thinking of the confident bloke with the world at his feet, as opposed to the looser with a shit job, no confidence, and an inability to converse with the opposite sex. He views the poster boy with the same envy. There are many ways to cut the cloth of disadvantage, gender is only one.
August 20th, 2008 at 10:37 pm
Woahh, crazy stuff. My mum had a similar experience when she was mugged walking to the supermarket one day with me. She struggled with the bloke and he hit her in the face giving her a gash. He got away with the bag but the gardai caught him and I identified him. It was the third or fourth mugging he’d committed so he was put away for 4/5 years afaik. Can’t remember too much about it cos I was 9/10 at the time.
August 20th, 2008 at 10:37 pm
Reading that sent shivers down my spine. Sounds absolutely terrifying. Thank God for the Americans!
August 20th, 2008 at 10:38 pm
Mugged? Once. Only really remembered after reading this…
I was about ten or eleven and was collecting fo a charity outside my local supermarket. A couple of much bigger lads came over looking for my collection box and I refused to give it to them even after taking a few clatters to the head. I as very proud of myself. My dad took me round the area in the car after looking for them. Am kind of glad we didn’t find them as he might still be doing time to this day…
@Darren We always feel bad when our loved ones are hurt by anyone even when there’s a snowball’s chance in hell of us being there to help
It’s an instict we should all be proud of though.
August 20th, 2008 at 10:42 pm
I always worry about the Adam’s apple thing. HOw easy easy would it be to kill someone that way? Would yo uget done for manslaughter?
This is so scary though. In a way it might have been better if Darren hadn’t been there – I think guys get hurt more than girls, maybe. Still, your bruises and cuts don’t sound so trivial.
This is the thing about Americans – we take the piss out of their willingness to get involved, to put themselves in the situation and see what they can do. They really believe they can help and so they probably often do. My mother was just like that, she would have stopped for anyone.
Irish people on the other hand, it’s likea cultural imperative, head down, walk on, don’t get involved, god forbid we might embarrass ourselves or put ourselves in harm’s way.
August 20th, 2008 at 10:43 pm
Don’t know about the adam’s apple when there are three. A russian chap I know once said in that situation “jam thumb in eye of one, into brain. He is dead, the others run”.
August 20th, 2008 at 10:44 pm
Lottie How awful for you. I hope all the scars have healed and writing about it brings closure for you.
You have dredged up memories for me. Far to much for a comment, I’ll save them for a post.
August 20th, 2008 at 10:46 pm
That really is horrible…I felt a bit ill after reading that, there really is nowhere safe anymore…
August 20th, 2008 at 10:48 pm
They do say that times are getting worse though! Thanfully, it’s never happened to me..(famous last words?)
August 20th, 2008 at 10:51 pm
Did you say you had Grannymar’s knickers on?
Not all Nordsiders wear track suits you know
Q. What do you call a Northsider in a suit?
A. The Defendant
August 21st, 2008 at 10:53 pm
If it’s not the IRA it’s druggies from the north side. Sounds like cotton wool is just what you need!
Darren: It’s unfortunate that we can’t always be there for the ones we love but that is life whether we like it or not. There are so many things I would do differently if I could but then we wouldn’t be who we are today and neither would the people in our lives. You have a strong lady on your hands who at least has the sense to turn a bad experience into a learning one and has survived without the bubblewrap ever since. There is absolutely no reason to feel bad, hard as that can be to realise.
August 21st, 2008 at 10:57 pm
Wow, what a story! You poor thing. Did you find it tough walking about by yourself afterwards?
August 22nd, 2008 at 12:24 pm
[...] Lottie’s post about being mugged brought back two. [...]
August 25th, 2008 at 10:25 pm
Test2
August 25th, 2008 at 10:27 pm
Jesus Lottie, that must have been a scary and horrible experience to go through, thank God the american couple came along when they did as it doesn’t bear thinking about the what if’s and could have happened scenario’s.
August 25th, 2008 at 10:29 pm
what a traumatic experience!! thank goodness for those American couple. did the police manage to catch the assailants?