By Jeffrey Paolano
At the weapon’s appearance, Jeremy freezes.
“Get that shit up out the drawer,” snarls the gunman. Jeremy understands the gunman knows his business. The unrelenting rile will disorient the cashier, shake him.
“Hurry, get the bills from under the drawer.” The pressure demonstrates professionalism.
“Yes, sir, right away.” The cashier plays his role well, too, moving fast, head down, not looking at the gunman.
Jeremy draws his knife, opening it behind his back. “Asshole,” he bawls and drives his blade into the gunman’s hand. The piece bounces. The gunman bursts through the door, squalling.
All have played their parts with élan.
And the lesson is: don’t let anyone get near you when you are robbing a shop. I enjoyed this.
This happens in my Baltimore MD neighborhood all the time. There are two seven elevens and three of its competitors, Royal Farms, in walking distance. They attract drug dealers, sex workers, and robbers. The owner of a sub shop told me he couldn’t understand why one Royal Farms store continually got robbed when the police were parked across the street. “Do you think the police are in on it with the robbers?” I asked him. “Yes,” he answered.
Until I read your story, I didn’t realize this was a national problem; I learned this from your story. It also gave me an idea for a story. The last line confused me. What do you mean by “actors”?
Old Testament Justice at its best.
Sorry all, I found it confusing , on first read.