The sun was setting over Pátzcuaro, a small town in Mexico. Casting a warm glow that made the whole town feel like those warm greeting card. Jane Cole, a 26 year old freelance photographer totally loved this time of the day because of that lovely daylight and how crystal clear her pictures look during the day.
There was something about how the daylight hits everything that make it all magical but tonight as she was taking some random shot with her camera, she had this weird feeling that something was off.
"Jane! you in there?" Neo, her best friend, screamed out and came over with his coffee looking all chill and stuff... "what's got you so zoned out?" you look like you're trying to count the stars or something."
Jane laughed and was like "i'm just trying to catch the last bit of light before it goes away, you know how it goes" adjusting her lens... but then she saw something in the distance that totally caught her eye. There was this guy behind some trees and he was way too still.
hey Neo look at that she said pointing... "what do you see over there"
Neo squinted his eyes and was like "looks like some dude doing something... you think hes ok?"
i dunno Jane said "feeling kinda weird about it but it feels off... lets go check it out"
They walked thru the park and all the normal sounds kinda faded away they could see the guy better... now he had his hood up and was crouched down like he was hiding something. Jane’s heart was racing, a mix of curiosity and anxiety... "Was this guy up to... something shady?"
Neo whispered "do you think he's like doing something illegal?"
i dunno but i got a bad feeling Jane said taking a pic with her camera "lets keep watching him"
the guy suddenly stood up holding something shiny Jane's stomach dropped when she realized it was a wallet... "Neo i think he just stole that" she blurted out
"what are you sure?" Neo looked doubtful... "maybe he found it we didnt see anything happen"
"Yeah but look at him he's acting all weird" Jane insisted... her mind going crazy what if we're seeing a crime happen... "what if he got away"
"Ok ok lets just talk to him before we call the cops" Neo said looking back at the guy who was trying to walk away fast
talk to him Jane was like what are we gonna say excuse me sir did you just do a crime
"why not" Neo said sounding way more confident than she felt "maybe he'll admit it or maybe we'll figure out what's really going on.
They took a deep breath and went after the guy "excuse me" Jane called out her voice shaky "can we talk to you for a sec"
the guy turned looking surprised "what do you want?" he asked sounding defensive
"We saw you by the fountain earlier" Neo said trying to sound chill... "did you uh find a wallet we think it might belong to someone in the park?"
The guy looked mad and Jane could tell he was thinking about what to do... "I found it what's it to you?"
Jane's heart was racing... "you can't just keep it that doesnt belong to you"
"Who's gonna believe you" he shot back looking around like he was waiting for someone "you dont have any proof"
Actually i do Jane said feeling a bit braver "I took a pic of you with it... i'm calling the cops if you dont give it back"
The guy hesitated looking less sure "you wouldnt dare" he challenged but he sounded scared
"I would" she replied feeling more confident "now this is wrong and you know it just give it back"
After a tense moment he sighed all frustrated and pulled the wallet out... "fine take it but you've got it all wrong"
Jane picked it up feeling relieved "thanks you're doing the right thing" she said but she wasnt sure if he even heard her
As they turned to leave someone called out "Brian did you find it?" an old lady walked up looking worried
The guy Brian nodded "yeah grandma I found your wallet these people thought I stole it"
Juan felt her face go all red as the old lady smiled at Brian... "oh thank goodness i must have dropped it when we were feeding the ducks earlier... youre such a good boy for looking for it"
Neo cleared his throat awkwardly were really sorry for the misunderstanding we thought
Brian shook his head looking frustrated but also kinda understanding "you thought just cause I look a certain way I must be up to no good right?... I get it but maybe next time don't jump to conclusions"
As Brian and his grandma walked away Juan felt super ashamed she had been so sure of what she saw but the reality was way different from what she thought
Neo let out a big breath "wow that was intense we really thought he was gonna pull a knife or something"
"I know" Juan said still feeling that rush of adrenaline and embarrassment "i was so sure but i guess you never know what's really going on beneath the surface"
As they headed back to the fountain the sky was getting dark and stars were coming out so what do you think now Neo asked shaking his head in disbelief
"I think i think i need to be more careful about jumping to conclusions next time"... Juan thought out loud "it just shows that things arent always what they seem... you cant judge a situation just by appearances"
"true" Neo nodded "you could've easily convinced yourself you were right I mean who wants to admit they might be wrong about something they're so sure about"
"Exactly" she replied her thoughts all jumbled "but sometimes you gotta question your own perceptions sometimes"... "its about digging deeper to find the truth even when it challenges what you think you know"
They sat down on a bench by the fountain listening to the water "you know I think you might've learned an important lesson today" Neo teased nudging her... "maybe you should consider adding professional assumption-challenger to your photography portfolio"
Juan laughed shaking her head "I think i'll stick to capturing moments thanks very much but who knows maybe i'll write a story about this someday about how easily we can misinterpret what we see"
"Just make sure to include a rogue photographer who learns to see beyond her lens" Neo said grinning
As they sat there in their cute little town Juan couldn't help but feel kinda humble she had been super quick to judge... so sure of what she saw and in a world full of illusions and misperceptions... It was a big lesson learned.
