We toured the very old African part of the city called Treichville.  There was a mosque that we were not permitted into.  Too bad, because I think we needed to pray for a safe vacation.  After the time in Treichville, we decided to walk back to the main part of the shopping district called the Plateau.  A big bridge separated these two areas.   On the pedestrians' exit ramp from the bridge were sidewalk venders.  There were cafe tables with colorful umbrellas.  There were also two rogues who ran up from behind us and tried to steal the girls' backpacks. 

Right Out of a Horror Movie      I saw Amanda running, screaming at the top of her lungs, with a man chasing her.  It was like a scene from a horror movie.  The man held a knife raised above his head as he chased after her.  Well, my heart almost stopped and then I started to call for help -- in English -- which didn't do a whole lot of good in a French speaking country.  When I gathered my wits, I knew it was up to me to rise to the occasion and be a hero to save my friends.  I went running over to Debbie.   She was struggling with her backpack but had managed to pull it away from the thief by the time I got there.

To the Rescue      Since Debbie was okay, I had to locate Amanda.  I ran down the bridge not having a clue what I'd do when I found her.  I was just running, running, running.  Then, I saw her at the end of the exit ramp struggling to keep her purse away from the man.  I continued running and did the only thing I knew to do.  I took a flying leap into the air and tackled him.  We all three tumbled to the ground.  By the time I'd gotten to my feet, the thief was twenty feet away and running while Amanda was nowhere to be seen.  Although she'd fought long and hard to protect her belongings, as soon as she was knocked over, she "knew" she was about to die.  She left everything and ran away.  However, she did clarity of mind to grab her new pair of glasses before saving her life.   

Debbie was soon at my side picking up Amanda's things.  We watched as the other pedestrians chased after the thief.  They threw anything they could find, including benches, at him.  He didn't stay around.  A thief who was caught could get into serious trouble in West Africa.  One of my friends in Liberia had her house broken into.  When they caught the thief, they cut his foot off with a machete.  That robber didn't have any desire to remain with us.  We had no desire to remain in Abidjan either. 

Now We Know     The thieves in Abidjan, we found out later, did not hesitate to slice up or kill anyone who resisted them.  It was one of the most dangerous cities in Africa.  We didn't know it at the time.  We do now.