The good citizen

An interesting scene was played out in front of me this lunch time as I dragged my weary way back from pottery.   (It's downhill all the way from my house to King Street and then, unsurprisingly uphill all the way back!)

I was crossing Chapelfield Gardens.  
Coming towards me was a young man carrying an orange Sainsbury's shopping bag.  Behind him and closing fast on him was an older man on a bike.  Careful cycling is permitted in the park but I thought the older man was getting very close to the bag carrier.   Suddenly he slowed the bike almost to a stop and bent down and made to grab the shopping bag.   Before I had time to react another young man who had been following the bike pushed forward with his arms up and stepped in front of the bike to stop what he (and I) thought was a bag snatch in progress. 

Before he had time to say anything the old man smiled and said "He's a friend of mine.   It's alright!" and the bag carrier smiled to confirm.  The other young man backed off and started to move away.  The old man called after him.  "Thank you!   You're a good citizen."  

I thought the incident did them both credit and wondered how that would have played out in another park in another city.   Norwich is still a decent place to live.