Forgotten Moment

When Keith and I were at the Jewish Market, we came upon a scene that could have taken place on the Lower East Side 100 years ago. A young boy, about 8, stood with his closed fist above a basket of roasted nuts. The proprietor of the stall stood, with his hand gripped firmly around the boy's wrist. They were engaged in a stand-off. The proprietor wasn't going to let go until the boy opened his fist and dropped the stolen nuts. They boy was counting on the business of the stall to distract the proprietor, who would eventually decide the effort wasn't worth it and let him go. The shopkeeper appeared to be winning, because as we walked away, we heard the boy begin to cry, "Abba! Abba!" calling to his father for help.