Bringing Down the House
Otisville, Mich.
Hippy Hold-Up
Once when I was working as an apprentice in Connecticut back in 1978, I was entrusted with some fluorescent light repair work at a local bank. The company I was working for didn't have uniforms, so I was able to wear whatever I wanted, and on this occasion I had on a Grateful Dead tie-dyed shirt and blue jeans. While I was changing some ballasts behind the teller counter, the silent alarm went off unbeknownst to me or anyone else at the bank. I wasn't near anything that would have set off the alarm, but the next thing we knew the police came through the bank's front door with their guns drawn on me. I guess my long hair, beard, and clothes didn't go very far in making me look trustworthy. It's a good thing that the tellers jumped up and said there was no robbery in progress. After that incident I learned why it pays to look professional while working.
Tim Bridge
Marlborough, Mass.
Illustrations by Clint Metcalf