Almost Ended Up in Jail

The gold iPhone had just hit the market. I was wandering the street when a guy asked, “Need a phone, bro?” Finally! Every time some scalper waved a phone at me I’d ignore him—and regret it. Not this time.

“Let me see it.”

I held it. That gold really gleamed. I first offered him a Zhonghua cigarette, made small talk, and dialed my own number. Real phone.

“How much?”

“1,200.”

“Where’d you get it?”

“Snatched it from some girl at the bus stop. Got another smoke?”

I kept a death grip on the phone to avoid a switch. “Too pricey. I’ve only got 500.”

“Not selling for less than 1,000.”

“Come on, it’s not jailbroken. That’s risky.”

“Nope. You want it or not? Otherwise I’m leaving.”

“Fine, 1,000.” I reached for my wallet. Empty.

“You kidding me? Got no money and you waste my time.”

“Hey, I really want it—just forgot my wallet. Give me ten minutes to run upstairs and grab it.”

“Leave the smokes here and hurry. Hand the phone back.”

Ten minutes later I sprinted back with cash. The guy was gone.

I called the number I’d dialed earlier. It rang forever.

“Hello?”

“Bro, where are you? I came back. Give me the phone.”

“Who is this?”

Different voice. Already resold?

“You have my phone? That’s mine.”

“How long ago did you lose it?”

“How long have you had it? Did you steal it?”

“Less than ten minutes. I just got it.”

“Bought it? It’s mine.”

“This is Huashan Police Station. The phone’s here. Bring ID to claim it.”

…Ten minutes, that’s all it took.

Published at: Jul 28, 2019 · Modified at: Nov 20, 2025