Kidnapped! - episode 7

[tied up on the toilet]

We have arrived at the moment of truth. Two strangers with a gun and a clear disregard for personal freedom and private property have arrived at my apartment after a long circuitous journey which has left them in a foul mood. I am helplessly tied up and blindfolded in the bathroom. As you can imagine, they were horrified.

"Do you believe this guy?!" was repeated again. "Where is the TV? Where is all your stuff?" Looking around the apartment, they must have thought I was a member of some religious sect practicing the vow of poverty. No expensive furniture. No rings or jewelry. No fancy appliances. Not even a Betamax. I didn't even have a watch they could take. They were completely confounded that anyone could live without a TV, despite what I had told them. It was un-American.

"Where is all your money?"

At this point I wasn't going to say, "I told you so." I just repeated that I was new to the city and had just started my job. Come back in a few years.

I did have a nice stereo system with tape deck and speakers that I had bought in Guam on my way back from Palau. This was probably the only thing that saved me from being shot on the spot out of frustration. As I sat on the toilet, I could hear them gathering up anything they thought was of value and stacking it in the living room. They kept trying to figure out where my worth was.

Looking through my closet was a big disappointment. "Where do you buy your clothes, Sears?"

Not only was I being robbed, but also humiliated. I had told them I was wearing my one nice suit. They were so desperate for something that they took my sweaters. They also rolled up my rug.

At one point they asked if I had money in the bank. When I told them I did have some, they suggested that I write them a check. Incredulous, I readily agreed knowing I would just stop payment on it. However, they never followed up on that notion.

As they worked, I guess they started feeling sorry for me. Perhaps they felt I was poorer than they were. They started opening up about how tough it was for blacks in Boston. They had a rough childhood and really had no opportunities. They were just trying to get by.

"We're really not bad. We don't want to hurt you. We just need to provide for our families. You can understand that. After we take your stuff, we'll leave your car at the Government Center Garage where we found you."

As desperate as they were, they weren't going to keep a Chevette with no back seat or glove compartment. Everything, I learned, can be justified for one's own benefit. It was just basic monetary policy, redistribution of wealth. They talked as if robbery should become a fully funded federal program.

It was probably around 10:30 when they were ready to carry the few things they had gathered—mostly stereo equipment—down to the car to make their get-a-way. For some reason they moved me from the bathroom to the closet floor. Here was one of the more frightening moments for me. After they sat me blindfolded on the floor of the closet, I imagined that they would smack the back of my head with the gun to ensure I would not escape. I braced for it. Fortunately, the blow did not come.

Something must have spooked them during the process of carrying my goods down to my car. They entered the closet, raised me from the floor, and brought me out to the stairs. I was instructed to repeat, "Hey! Be careful with that stuff" for the benefit of anyone else living in the apartment building. The assumption was that my voice was giving unqualified approval for removing stereo equipment, sweaters, and a rug from the apartment. I had to say it a few times in order to get the right pitch and loudness. Satisfied, they placed me back on the closet floor.

There I sat, frustrated that I had done little to thwart this kidnapping and robbery. I had failed to out smart them. As I listened to their movements, there came a time when I heard nothing but silence. Maybe I could still do something. Were both of them carrying something down to the car, leaving the room empty? Perhaps this was my chance to slip my bonds and escape!

 [To be continued…]