Would you Adam and Eve it?

I've just been the victim of the best con I've seen in ages. Sitting in our school gym on Friday after school, I smiled at a woman I thought was with the visiting team. She came over and sat right next to me, which I have to admit I thought a bit odd given that I was the only parent there at the time, and there was plenty of room. She asked me to point out my son, (the tallest on the basketball team) and commented about his height etc. I asked her who was her's and she pointed to an equally tall boy, so we had a chat about how tall they were, how big their feet are etc. About two minutes into the game, she excused herself to go and get a soda, which I also thought strange.

Towards the end of the game, a mother who had come to sit behind me, handed me my bag, which she had retrieved from the floor, and jokingly told me to be careful. Given that it had started off on the seat next to me, I should have smelled a rat at that point. It wasn't till I went to give $10 to a third mother (for the coach's gift) that I saw - nothing. All my money had gone. I had been walking around with $20 all week, and didn't I go to the cash machine that day? $200, gone. And what's worse - I still didn't twig.

Everyone kept saying it would turn up at home, but I knew it wasn't possible. I did not have my bag out of my sight all day. It was driving me mad wondering how I could possible have lost all that money; it had to have been stolen but when and how?

The Ball & Chain (newly arrived back from London and therefore jet-lagged) woke up at 6am next morning and naturally, woke me up too. I immediately started thinking about the money again, and Bingo! That woman had very cleverly pushed my bag behind me as she sat down. She used great eye contact while we chatted, and of course, when she asked who my son was, I had to scan the team to find him, giving her ample time to look down and pull out the money. She never came back into the gym after getting her 'soda', and thinking about her body language, I have no doubt it was her.
The really annoying thing is that I was suspicious when I saw her, but didn't want to be rude or judgmental by moving my bag when she sat down. I am normally very good about keeping it zipped up, but that day it had my little one's gloves and hat stuffed in, so it was very easy to get at the purse/wallet.

Grrr. Oh well, I will have to worry less about offending people and keep my money at home when I get that much out at one time.

She must have thought she'd won the jackpot!!!

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