Stealing Candy from the A&P

Ah, my favorite candy…I nearly did time for M&M’s…As a child I was often sent to pick up an item or two at the A&P (The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company) on Peachtree at Brighton, next to the Rexall (later Crain Daly VW and Cloudt’s). On one of these shopping excursions I was sent to buy several items, pasta, we called that spaghetti noodles, and salad fixins’ and given funds nearly equal to the cost of items: we were taught the value of money back then, with scant change remaining after purchase. For some unknown reason (likely I hadn’t done my chores and been paid my allowance), I didn’t have any money besides the grocery funds in my wallet. Waiting in line to check out, I stood next to the candy displayed in neat rows to my right, and I caught the smell of chocolate, the wafting scent of amorous delight, the anticipated pleasure of soft dark chocolate melting on my trembling lips, the pungent overwhelming bitter sweetness of sensuous mouth candy…and…I grabbed a big bag of M&M’s off that Circe’s shelf knowing full well I had not the dime to pay for it. I furtively stuffed the treasured condiment in my right pocket, knowing it would melt in my mouth, not in my pants. I checked out, paid for the pasta and fixins’, and clutching the grocery bag, headed right toward the door. Just a few feet to ecstasy, I was looking out, craving heaven on Peachtree’s sidewalk. Oh God! “You are one of the Sullivan boys, aren’t you?  “Yes sir” “I believe you haven’t paid for all your groceries, have you…? “Uh, uh, what do you…” “I mean the candy in your pocket, didn’t you mean to pay for that, let’s see it” I was shaking so hard, tears welling up, my face flushed red, my skin white, drained of blood. He took the dark brown bag of M&M’s from my hand. “Come with me.” The manager of the store had caught me, and he led me, sobbing, to his office. As I recall the event now, I had no fear of his punishment; I feared the belt, I feared being laid upon my bed and I feared the sting of the lash. But most of all, I feared seeing my mother’s face, the disappointment, the grief, the sadness I would cause her. “Young Mister Sullivan, do you know you have done wrong?” I thought how to get out of this mess, I thought to tell him I intended to come back and pay for the candy, I thought to lie to save my butt, to make a deal. For a moment, my lips started to move to calumny, I would save myself. “Sir,” I looked up at him through tears, “Sir”, his face pained with the expectation of my words, as if he knew what lies would follow, “Sir” “Sir, I…I.” I caught my breath. “I stole them, I am so sorry, I took them, I didn’t have enough money and I wanted them so bad, I’m sorry,” I sobbed. I felt his hand on my shoulder, first the left one  and then the right. Was he going to shake me, slap me, when would he call my parents? “Young man, look at me. Look at me, look at me now.” I turned my head toward his face, I opened my eyes wide to see him smiling. “What you did was very wrong, do you know that?” “Yes sir”  “But young Mister Sullivan, you admitted it, you know what you have done is wrong, and I know you are sorry.”  “Yes sir”  “Here’s what we are going to do.” He handed the bag of candy back to me. “You come back tomorrow and pay for these. Go to the cashier, and tell her you forgot to pay yesterday.”  I held the crumpled bag in my hand. “Young man, never steal. You will grow to be less a man if you lie and steal. You know its against God’s law, and it is He who will finally punish you if you go through life lying and stealing” “Yes sir” “Do you understand”  “Yes sir, thank you sir”  “You had better get those groceries home.”  “Yes sir”   There are two morals to this story, one, never get caught stealing, and two, M&M’s may not melt in your hand, but they sure as hell will melt in your pants, especially if you do get caught stealing. I can truthfully say I never knowingly stole anything again, that is, if you don’t count my time as a US Military Defense Contractor…www.bullsullivan.com.