Managing this store was rewarding but challenging sometimes. On this particular night, I had two employees working with me. One was Cody, who was a young guy of about nineteen. He was sure of himself or, more accurately, cocky. But a hard worker. The other was Fisher. Also, a young man at only eighteen years old. Unlike Cody, he was quiet and shy.
I enjoyed leading these two and my other two employees. What I did not enjoy was how rough the location of our small convenience store had become over the years. Police cars blaring their sirens would constantly be speeding by, yet you would continually hear about muggings and assaults occurring nearby. Just last year, I had my purse taken at gunpoint. That almost made me quit and move away, but I endured. If for nothing else than for my employees. They wouldn't admit it, but they did look up to me, and I hated the idea of letting them down.
I, myself, was a young woman of twenty-four years old. I was aware of the danger of being a woman in this area. Especially since I was a rather attractive one, according to the men constantly harassing me on the street. I had a toned body but still managed to have c-cup breasts that bordered on d-cup. I also seemed to have inherited my mother's pronounced booty, which also got plenty of unwelcomed remarks on the streets.
"Jennifer, when are we getting more Mars bars? We've been out for two straight days now," Cody asked me.
"Corporate will only tell me they are working on it. That's all I know," I said in reply.
"The store near me has them," Fisher pointed out.
"Why the fuck are shopping at other stores, Fisher," Cody asked accusingly.
"Cause they have Mars bars...," Fisher replied.
We laughed and continued on with stocking and cleaning the store. I was helping out with the late shift today, and it was nearly 2 am. We hadn't seen a customer in an hour, but corporate insisted the store stay open twenty-four hours a day, so here we were. But just as I had this thought, the bell on our door rang, and a couple of men walked in. "Hello! Let us know if you need help finding anything," I called out, greeting them.
The men didn't respond but walked right up to Fisher at the cash register. "Can I... help you," he asked them cautiously.
"Shut the fuck up and empty the register," one of the men said, pulling out a pistol. Fisher went pale, seeing the gun, and froze. Cody, meanwhile, got an angry look and started marching towards the men.
I was lucky enough to be near him and grabbed him. "No. Don't be a fool. You'll only put Fisher in danger," I pleaded with him. He seemed to accept this and stopped his advance with a clenched fist.
"Do what he says and give him the money," I told Fisher. He looked at me, nodded, and started taking the cash out of the register with shaky hands.
The other two men approached Cody and I. "Little man wants to be a hero? Too bad his mommy held him back. We could have had some fun," one of them teased Cody getting in his face.
"You fucking...," Cody started to say before the man punched him hard in the gut.
"Shut your mouth and stay down. She was right to tell you to back off. I would have killed you in an instant," the man yelled angrily.
The third man eyed my body up and down. "We might have to come back sometime and have fun with this one," he said with eyes full of lust.
I took a step back and crossed my arms. "Just take your money and go. We won't stop you," I said, trying to end this situation before it got bad. The two of them laughed and walked back to their partner, who was taking the bag of money from Fisher. After grabbing some drinks, they left, disappearing into the darkness of the late night.
I collapsed on the floor, feeling like I held my breath during that entire incident. "Fisher, call the police. Are you okay, Cody?" I asked as I scooted over to him.
"I'm fine," he said, sitting up but still holding onto his stomach. The poor teenager had his confidence thrown right back in his face today.
Twenty minutes later, a police car came by, took our statements, and made copies of the security tapes. The men only got away with two hundred dollars, but the team was shaken badly by the incident. The worst was that we knew the men would never be caught. Not in a neighborhood like this. They could return anytime they wanted and maybe do much worse this second time. I feared that I could never get Cody and Fisher to return to work. Even the employees of mine that weren't here would be spooked by this. All of my workers needed this job. Quitting it out of fear would cause them to fall into poverty or crime themselves. I informed corporate of what happened and insisted we shut the store down for a bit. After going back and forth, they gave me permission to close the shop until the morning after next. I sent Cody and Fisher home before I, too, headed back to my apartment.
The sun just started to rise as I walked. My phone rang, and it was Charlie, my boyfriend. Somehow, the idea of talking with him made me feel worse, but I picked up, not wanting to worry him. "Jennifer? Are you okay? I turned on the news, and they mentioned a robbery at your store," he asked, concerned. I explained what happened and let him know I was safe. "I'm so sorry that happened to you, babe. Maybe it's time to consider leaving that job. That neighborhood is only getting worse, it seems," Charlie suggested.
"No. I could never do that. I'll work with corporate to implement new safety measures. Besides, no one was badly hurt." Charlie was not satisfied with that answer, and I couldn't blame him. I knew nothing would change except a few emails and new signs around the store.
