THE SUMBITCH

Okay, Kelli and I finally got a chance to talk for a while. She gave me the lowdown on what happened yesterday.

Outside of a store in Naples she was the victim of a purse-snatcher.

She'd seen this guy (to be referred to henceforth as THE SUMBITCH) milling around and made a note of his presence. He suddenly approached her from about a five o'clock position and grabbed her purse.

She held on with all her strength, and lo and behold, THE SUMBITCH wasn't strong enough to get it away from her. He pulled, she pulled, and she decided she'd pull him closer (it was a long strap) and punch THE SUMBITCH in his Euro-trash face.

That's when the strap broke. She tumbled down, still holding on as he dragged her down the sidewalk. THE SUMBITCH finally got it loose and jumped on a waiting motorcycle.

***

What he got:

Her passport
Her camera
Her credit card
Her debit card
Her cellphone
About $40

***

The cards and cellphone were canceled very quickly. The bit of cash and the cellphone were what THE SUMBITCH got for all that work and nearly getting a Krav Mama jab to the face.

She's given her report to the police, and someone there did witness at least some of it.

She'll go to the American consulate in Florence about the passport.

***

Thing is, she was injured in the struggle. Her right arm was wrenched, and now she's sore in the bicep/tricep/elbow region. She also has a sore hip from where she fell.

This is not so good for someone who is supposed to be an an archaeological dig doing some, you know, digging. She has to talk to the head of the project about this. There is certainly a possibility that she will come home early due to this, I'm sorry to say.

***

She is fine mentally though.

I'm quite proud that, in the heat of the moment, she was no shrinking violet. She stood up for herself, focused, and was even of a mind to deck THE SUMBITCH if she could.

***

(EDIT: I am looking at our online bank ledger, and he didn't manage to spend a cent from our checking. That debit card did him no good. Credit cards, of course, have great protection for this sort of thing as well; considering how quickly I canceled the card anyway, I'm guessing we're in the clear)