A quick stop at the local HSBC to make a withdrawal saw me in the lineup for a moment and then my turn was up. At the next teller window, a small obviously Yucatecan man – a diligenciero complete with a motorcycle helmet on and one pant leg tucked into his sock – was waiting for his cheques to be cashed.
A flurry of movement caught my eye and I turned to see several armed men from the security company that moves cash around, come in and take their positions. They deposited several large clear bags with several hundreds of thousands of pesos in them near the security door and asked one of the tellers if the encargado de la boveda – the vault supervisor – was there. “Ahi viene” was her laconic reply as she turned back to her helmeted client.
A few moments passed and nothing. The security men were getting restless and asked again for the supervisor to come and open the door. The teller got up, dialed a number, spoke briefly into the telephone and when she hung up, reassured them that he was almost there. “We can only stay 5 minutes” said the security man.
One of the other men, carrying what looked like a shotgun ad glancing continuously from side to side, asked the helmeted man to remove his helmet.
“Why?” he answered indignantly. “Do I look like I’m hot?”
“Bank security rules” replied the guard “no hats, caps or sunglasses”
“What if there’s shooting?” continued HelmetMan. “Wouldn’t I be safer with the helmet on?”
I noticed that no one was talking at this point and the other tellers were glancing up from their counting and stamping to observe the exchange.
“You need to take off the helmet”. Again, the security man.
“What are you? The owners of the bank now?” HelmetMan countered.
I could already envision a nervous security man accidentally getting riled up and squeezing the trigger on one of those guns and me catching a stray bullet. I wished my teller would move a little faster.
The security man, seeing he was getting no where with the uppity little Yucatecan who was proving to the world how defiantly he could stand up to 3 large men with guns, asked the bank manager to ask his client to remove his helmet. This seemed to work and HelmetMan took off his helmet not before remarking about the mafiosos with their guns and that they think they’re all that.
I finally got my money and left, wondering at the ridiculousness of some people and their insistence on trying to irritate others.
Security people (including all police) the world over have severe authority issues. They feel they must showand you must acknowledge that they’re in command, that they’re never wrong, that they must be obeyed, that any hesitation to obey must be punished, …..
True, but in this case, the security guys are just doing their job, a job I would not want to have right now in this country.
I agree with you Mr. Lawson! Talking back to security guys is like joking with the Customs officer about drugs. When someone with a gun asks you to take off your hat, whether he is a good guy or a bad guy, you should do it!! With a smile!
I know right? I mean OK it’s a pain and whatever but to try and be all blustery and macho in these troubled times is just stupid.