“For the love of money is the root of all evil”
-Timothy 6:10
“Hey! So are you gonna ring me up?”I awoke a little confused, I looked up and saw a police officer with some groceries, I must have dozed off “Sorry”I apologized. “Yeah”he said sarcastically. I scanned the items; a bottle of wine, some scented candles, pack of lighters, and a tin of mints. “Total is, $21.67”the man reached into his wallet and handed me the money. I extended my hand to grab the money and he dropped it on the counter right before I was about to accept it. I let out a sigh of annoyance and he smirked a bit. I picked up the cash a twenty and a five I took it placed them in the cash register and gave him three dollars and thirty cents back. “Have a nice day” I said. When he looked up and asked “Do you think I'm stupid? I looked back up a little more confused “Um-I” but before I could respond he yelled “The total was 21.67! I gave you $25 you gave me three dollars and thirty cents you owe me three cents twenty five minus 21” “okay,okay I'm sorry here ill give you your three cents” I reopened the cash register and grabbed three pennies and gave it to him, wow I must be really out of it today, I thought. The officer muttered “dumb ass”I looked down I could feel my face warming up, when he said “Oh and I would like a box of condoms” I looked up and asked “extra small or a femidome?” offering him a bag of female condoms. The cop sneered at me showing his stained teeth under his mustache. He grabbed the rim of my shirt “listen here you little shit” but was cut off when the door bell dinged and another customer walked in he let me go and he walked off kicking a pile of stacked cereals making them fall down in a mess. “clean up on isle 2” he said mockingly as he laughed and walked out the door. I looked at the person who walked in and recognized him, it was one of my best friends. “Hey Nick, whats up dude?” He looked at me and smiled “nothing much man whats going on?” He walked over and leaned up against the counter I was taller then him so I saw the top of his head as he looked down and read a magazine article through the glass counter. His blond hair was short and by the looks of it, he had recently had a haircut. I answered “oh you know, the regular, just working” “Yeah?” he said inquisitively and looked over to the pile of cereal boxes laying on the ground “Whats up with that?” he asked. I replied “Oh the officer that was in here was a little upset that our smallest condom size was a little too large for him.” I couldn't help smiling he looked up at me obviously trying to hold back laughter. “James” he said “your going to end up pissing off the wrong person one of these days.” “Ha, I let out a boastful laugh, and until that day comes I'm just going to keep working my magic.” I winked as I walked out from behind the counter and started stacking the cereal boxes. Nick walked around and looked at the little T.V on the wall and began watching it “James? Why do you always watch cartoons?” I looked up at him “Cause the world is an ugly place, all a person can watch on television is how some girl got raped or some person shot some place up or someones' kids are missing, and then they change the channel to some cop show where these cops are solving super mysteries in a couple of days when in the real world they cant even solve who ate the last doughnut in the break room, I feel like watching cartoons keep me sane, and they help me feel better about myself, and the world we are in.” “mhm I don't see how a sponge using an oven underwater, to cook hamburgers keeps you sane but everyone has his zen I guess.” “When do you get off work?” he asked “Uh six twenty five, you wanna hang out?” “Sure man” I looked at the clock it was five fifty “You wanna take off and ill text you when I'm done working?” Nick replied “no man, ill just chill here if your boss doesn't mind, he wont come out and yell at me will he?” “No that would take to much energy for his fat ass.” It was true though my boss easily was three hundred pounds, he was a sweaty clammy odd shaped fellow, he was balding so he combed his hair over in the hopes of no one noticing his head when really their was more skin visible then hair. He liked to think he was tough and liked to bully the employees around no one like him or his family, his fat wife will always come down swipe some pastries from isle 3 and then complain about how lazy I look, or how this place needs to be cleaned. To sum it up I worked for two obese toads who loved making my life hell. I stopped thinking and returned my attention to Nick. Yeah just chill here until I'm done, Mr. Jenkins doesn't even leave that back room.” Nick looked back at the shut door “What does he do in there all day?”“Oh you know he just eats food, and watches porn, probably shakes things up a bit by doing both at the same time, you know when hes up to it.” I laughed a bit Nick was seriously fighting every urge to break out laughing “thanks for that image” he said sarcastically. “Now I know what you mean when you say the worlds an ugly place. Now we both laughed at that. The door dinged and I looked up as five people walked in. This was a pretty sketchy crew, they all were wearing jackets and had pants sagging down to their knees. Some were wearing beanies and they were all holding their pants up with their handsbut I don't think they let midgets in.” The group stopped laughing they looked a little shocked to see someone stand up to them. I added on “but don't worry I don't find your misconception offensive I know its hard to navigate these streets when you have an IQ lower then room temperature.”when one of them replied“You don't know who your messing with, lets teach this bitch a lesson.” The tall one bolted strait at me he ducked down in a sloppy attempt to tackle me I pivoted on my as they walked they leaned side to side, I took this as an attempt to look intimidating but the fact that their underwear was showing and the way they waddled threw off the whole tough look. I looked at nick and jerked my head to the side, he took the hint and walked into the restroom, as stupid as they looked I knew who they were. They were folk nation wannabees members of a gang that died off about ten years ago and the real members, desperate for numbers would let anyone join, including a bunch of losers who didn't get enough love as a child. None the less they were always looking for a way to prove themselves and considered dangerous. “Can I help you” I asked. “Yeah” the small one replied. “You can suck my dick” the others laughed I figured they thought this remark to be quite clever “Oh sorry” I said “Your in the wrong place the nearest gay bar is a couple of blocks down right leg bringing my left knee up, it made contact under his jaw and he stumbled down into the rack of gum behind me. I put my fists up and one ran at me and swung his right fist it was a pretty bad right hook he spent too much time winding up and as his fist was heading towards me I tucked my arms in, leaned to the right, put my left arm up, catching his inner arm and deflecting the blow I jabbed him twice in the face with my right fist and as he was recoiling back I brought my left elbow in and whacked him right in the cheek bone, the blow cut him and he began to bleed. I then used my left leg to sweep his right leg when he was off balance and he slipped to the ground. Breathing heavily I looked up at the rest when the one behind me put me in a choke hold. I felt the front and back of my throat compress against each other as I couldn't take in or let out air. He then brought me to my knees and the others ran in and started hitting me, multiple blows to the face and head numbed the rest of the punches even though I knew I would feel them tomorrow. Glass shattered from behind me and the sweet spicy smell of whiskey filled the air, I immediately took in a breath the guy behind me let go and the others were starting to back up. I dropped to my hands and knees gasping for air, coarsely coughing when the tall guy behind me was thrown into the crowd of the others I got to my feet breathing extremely fast I looked behind me to see Nick holding a broken Jim Bean bottle in one hand and in the other he was flicking his butterfly knife until the blade was extruding from the handle. The group started backing away when one of them smashed the front window with a gumball machine and then two more tipped over the shelves in the isles, spilling everything onto the ground. They laughed maniacally as they ran out. One of them screamed “folk nation” as they quickly left the store. I coughed and looked at Nick “thanks man” “Yeah anytime what the hell?” I looked up at the ruined party store, two shelves were tipped over with everything on the floor, one of the shelves had managed to land on a metal shelf hanging off the wall and was leaning up against that, while the other one completely smashed through the wood shelf hanging off the other wall. The wood shelf was destroyed and the alcohol bottles that once sat on it were smashed into pieces and alcohol flooded the ground. My boss ran out of his quarters, and when I say ran, I say it loosely it was more of an attempt to speed walk while trying to balance your body weight accurately so one side doesn't get to heavy and cause him to tip over. His fat sweaty face was beat red and furious. Yet he seemed not to notice one of the only employees hes had stay over two years with a black eye and bloody lip, just the fact that the store was destroyed. “wha-you, what did, what hap-YOU” he looked at me, with a glimpse of pure obese insanity. He pointed his fat sausage finger at me shaking “clean this up, work late if you have to but CLEAN THIS UP.” he yelled I could here his leviathan of a wife screaming up stairs then he nastily added “Oh and all damages will come out of your pay check.” “But sir” Nick cut in only to be interrupted “Enough! You out of my store.”he said pointing at Nick “You clean this, all of this” he went into a mad rant as he waddled into the back and then hiked up stairs. I looked at Nick raising my arms to the and letting them drop. He gave ma a sympathetic look and left I looked back at the door leading to the Jenkins' upstairs apartment sneering. I mused my self with the though of him having a heart attack so big it kills his whole family. Which would just be him and his chimera wife, because his whole family either lost their life to type two diabetes or some other over weight related death. I began to clean, grabbing a mop and wiping up the spilled liquids. I awoke to the noise of a bell, the noise the door makes when you open it. “Were closed” I said looking at the digital clock it was 2:37 in the morning. I got up, and there was a man in a nice coat with a suitcase he was panting. He saw me and immediately said “You got to hide me” “From what?”I asked I saw some lights and the lights narrowed in on the broken glass and he jumped behind the counter. A police officer walked in, ironically the same one that was here earlier. He looked at me then the inside of the store he laughed and asked me if I had seen a man with a suitcase. I looked at the counter and then back at him “Yeah, he ran out the back, you just missed him.”The police officer pushed me as he ran by and reached for his radio he told the others to check the ally way. When I heard the door close I looked over the counter at the man, I swallowed hard had I made a grievous mistake? “there gone” I said. He stood up and let out a huge breath, awe thanks kid I owe ya one, he put his hand on my shoulder still panting. “Don't mention it” I said cautiously “you know that’s actually a pretty good idea”he said smiling he looked up at me from under his bowlers hat and shook my shoulder “good man” he said. I actually felt complimented and immediately lowered any suspicion of this man. He then asked “you know what benefits good men?” “No what?” “Good rewards” he said keenly and reached into the suitcase and pulled out a wad of cash, all were one hundred dollar bills. A penny for your troubles he said amusingly and pushed the wad of cash into my chest I grabbed it and he began writing on a piece of paper which he latter dropped on the floor. “Hey you dropped this” I said he looked at me and then down at the paper like he had never seen it before “No I didn't” and he left. I looked at the paper there was a phone number on it and a specific time on when to call it. I then looked at the amount of money in my hands I counted it out he gave me forty one hundred bills.
