April 2010
Dear Creed,
Awhile back I said I would write to you about the time I was robbed. The night afterward when I got home I had Grandpa Stephens give me a father’s blessing because I was very shaken by the experience. In that blessing he told me that I needed that experience because it was important for me to learn about the evils of men.
After I returned home from my mission in Iceland, I went to work at a gas station. At that time, self-service stations were virtually non-existent. My job was to pump the gas for every vehicle that pulled into the station.
The station was located on the outskirts of downtown Columbus, Ohio. I worked four days a week—usually 10 or 12-hour shifts. There was only one attendant working at a time, so I spent those long days alone. It was generally so busy that I had difficulty taking a bathroom break and eating a sack lunch was almost impossible.
The owner—my boss—was the stake president’s executive secretary. He hired me because other employees had been stealing and he wanted someone honest. What I did not realize at the time was that the experience would end up being a lesson about the evils of men.
When I started the job, my boss explained that many people would try to take advantage of me and I needed to be on my guard at all times. He then went through a long list of methods people would use to try to steal if I weren’t constantly vigilant. I was taken aback. I had always operated under the assumption that most people were honest.
The methods of theft he described included the obvious, such as taking products from the shelves if I wasn’t watching. Then there were possibilities I’d never considered, such as manually clearing a pump if I looked away which would start the meter over at zero even though they might already have several gallons of gas. Remember this was before the days of computerized pumps and cash registers or even surveillance cameras.
Finally he said there was a possibility that I could be the victim of an armed robbery. In the several years he had operated the station there had been one previous robbery. He was working alone and an armed assailant knocked several of his teeth out after they took the money.
Even after these cautionary instructions I assumed that the acts of dishonesty he described were likely infrequent. Instead, I experienced several attempts each day. Unfortunately, the count of receipts at the end of each of my shifts usually revealed that someone managed to cheat in spite of my best efforts to prevent it. The shortfall came out of my meager pay.
Two incidents stand out from all the rest.
In one, a woman I recognized as a member of our stake pulled into the station and asked for directions. Unfortunately, I knew little about the area because it was a long ways from my home. But a large man overheard her questions and offered to show her the address she needed if she would simply follow him. I assumed he was just being nice and figured her problem was resolved.
I later learned that as she followed, something about the situation did not seem right. He led her to a narrow dead end alley. He got out of his car and ran toward her carrying a weapon. She had the presence of mind to start honking the horn as she backed away. She was able to escape and he chose not to follow.
When I heard about the incident later, I remember being startled because I thought the man seemed genuinely friendly and helpful.
A few days later it got dark as I worked alone one evening. The day had been very busy. The station had no safe so several times each shift I hid money in a large manila envelope in the back room. In addition, there were some small bills and coins set aside on a shelf in case I needed to make change.
There was finally a break in the line of customers and I took advantage of the lull to restock shelves with oil, antifreeze, brake fluid, etc. My back was turned and I heard the door open as someone walked into the station. As I turned to face him, the spirit told me I was in trouble.
It wasn’t immediately obvious. There was nothing to suggest that this person was a threat. He smiled and said he wanted a pack of cigarettes and he handed me a $20 bill. I handed him the pack he requested and began to count out change. Then he pulled a gun from his jacket pocket.
As soon as he did so another man walked through the door and he also had a gun. They were separated from me by the width of a desk. I was wearing an army field jacket and I kept bills and change in a large square pocket. They demanded the money which I quickly handed over.
I remember being very frightened and feeling incredibly helpless and powerless. I knew they could kill me and there would be nothing I could do to help myself. A silent prayer passed through my mind and I felt a calmness that was not congruent with the situation.
Then they ordered me into the back room. They asked where the rest of the money was and I showed them the stack of small bills and change. They asked for the safe and I told them we did not have one. Then they ordered me to lay face down on the floor.
Just a few months earlier, the United States had reinstated the death penalty and Gary Gilmore was executed by firing squad in Utah. His crime was murdering a gas station attendant who was lying helpless on the ground.
I remember thinking that I might die. I was waiting for whatever would happen next when I heard a bell that signaled that a car had driven into the station. The two robbers also heard the bell and knew someone was coming. They fled past a customer coming in the door. She screamed as they brushed by her just as I came out of the back room.
The only phone in the station was a pay phone and I no longer had any coins to use to make a call. I borrowed a couple of quarters from the shaken woman and I called the police. Then I called my boss.
The police arrived in an unmarked car and I did not recognize them because they were dressed like bums. They took a statement from me but seemed fairly unconcerned about the incident. They said the same two men had been regularly robbing other establishments in the area. They said so far no one had been hurt, but eventually someone would get shot and then they would get serious about catching the men.
When my boss arrived he wanted to know how much money was taken. I estimated that it was about $200. There was still well over $1,000 hidden in the manila envelope in the back room. That might not seem like a lot, but gas was selling for 52 cents a gallon and I was earning $2.25 an hour. Thankfully in this case I did not have to cover the loss out of my earnings. But my boss was not very happy about that much lost revenue.
The experience kept me on edge for several days. No one can appreciate the fear and helplessness felt in such a circumstance unless they have been through it. Later I talked to a friend who saw combat in Viet Nam. He said nothing he experienced in battle was as frightening. He noted that most of his combat involved being shot at from a distance by an unseen enemy. Plus he carried a weapon and could shoot back.
I changed jobs about three weeks after the robbery. I worked after dark a few more times but I always coerced a friend to stay with me. A couple months after I quit my replacement was robbed by a man in a trench coat who had a sawed off shotgun.
I learned several important lessons from my gas station experience. While I still think most people want to be honest, I know that a significant portion are willing to steal, cheat or lie if they think there is little chance of being caught.
There is another group—thankfully a small percentage—who are truly evil. They willingly choose to do the wrong thing if it is easier. They don’t care if they hurt other people. Their only concern is for themselves. They resent people who choose to do right. They mock authority.
Jesus taught that we need to love our fellow men and we need to be willing to forgive. But that does not mean we should allow ourselves, our family members or our friends to be victims of those who would prey on others. First and foremost it is my obligation to protect myself and my family.
As you read the scriptures you’ll recognize that many of the spiritual leaders were also military leaders. This is not because they were bloodthirsty or mean. It is because they felt an obligation to protect others and to defend them against evil men who wanted to do them harm.
As a missionary and a follower of Christ you should never let others take advantage. We have been given the Light of Christ and the Holy Ghost to help us differentiate between good and evil. And that includes between good and evil people. Be a peacemaker. Sometimes the best was to do that is to prevent bad people from hurting those who are innocent or good.
Love, Dad
Utah Bloghive
