Child's First Crime in Paris

¶ … Jennifer was a 9-year-old "Army brat" living Mannheim, Germany with her parents. Her father was an Army master sergeant and her mother was a "stay-at-home mom" that enjoyed seeing the sights with her children, Jennifer, and her two brothers, Bill (7 years old) and James (13 years old).

One week her mom told Jennifer, "We're going to Paris this weekend so pack your bags!" "Oh boy!," Jennifer though to herself, "I finally get to see the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame." Her mom had signed them up for an Army-sponsored tour of Paris and they arrived 30 minutes early to make sure they didn't miss the bus which was leaving at 7:30 P.M.

Jennifer was so excited she could barely sit still and sleep was almost impossible, but the bus trip was a long one and she finally dozed off. In the morning, she woke up to find herself in the outskirts of Paris and she could actually see the Eiffel Tower in the distance. She woke her mother up and said, "We're here!" The first stop on the tour was Notre Dame Cathedral and Jennifer and her mom eagerly joined the tour group and went inside.

After a 30-minute tour that Jennifer didn't really understand too well, they visited the gift shop which was always Jennifer's favorite part of a tour anyway. After looking around at the high prices for most of the souvenirs, Jennifer settled on a handful of postcards she intended to mail to her friends back in Germany and the United States as proof positive that she had actually been to Paris.

The line at the gift shop checkout was long because of all of the tours, and the cashier didn't seem to be in any hurry. Jennifer's mom came up and said, "You'd better hurry. The tour bus leaves in 5 minutes" and said she would meet her on the bus. Jennifer was absolutely squirming with impatience now, but the gift shop line wasn't moving and she heard the tour guide announce that their bus was leaving.

The post card rack was on the other side of the crowded store, and Jennifer didn't think she had time to return them. Not knowing what else to do, she stuffed the postcards in her purse and headed for the tour bus. "I've committed a crime," Jennifer thought to herself, "and in a foreign country." At that point, Jennifer.