Taken (37 page)

With as cheerful a voice and smile as I could produce, I finally looked at the man and asked, “May I take your order?”
 
This was the first time I had made eye contact with him since he first stepped through the door.
 

His hands were in the pockets of his jacket.
 
He broke eye contact and looked at the menu behind me.
 
In a hushed voice, he whispered, “I sure am hungry.”
 

Rather than a smart response like, “Well duh, this is a restaurant,” I waited patiently, looking at him with what I knew was a pleasant look on my face.
   

My heart refused to slow down.
 
“Take your time,” I answered as casually as I could. I looked down at the register, thinking that too much eye contact might agitate him.
 
I realized that by now Melissa was safely in the freezer, probably pissed, but at least she was safe.
 
I told myself that five minutes after this guy left, I would go back and apologize to her and explain that I’m really a lunatic instead of a jerk.

“I know what I want,” his voice boomed.
 
I looked back at him, before my eyes reached his, they stopped at his waist where I could see he had a gun.
 
I stared at it as he slid it back into his pocket.
 
I was thankful that he was not trying to frighten the rest of the customers in the restaurant.
 
Knowing the potential horrific outcome, I was relieved that it was just he and I who were aware of his gun.
 
Unfortunately, he was the only one aware of his intentions.
   

I kept my eyes trained on his pocket.
 
Without looking back to his face, I asked, “What can I get for you, sir?”
 
My voice didn’t crack, and I gave no indication of the fear that enveloped me.
 
I believe my reaction, or lack thereof, might have surprised him a little.
 

He paused, eying me carefully before he demanded, “I’d like some food and any cash you have in that drawer.” I could see he was pointing his gun through the pocket of his jacket as he motioned to the cash register.
 

I finally broke my gaze from his jacket.
 
I remained as calm as I could, “Okay sir, le’ me get your order.”
 
Not wanting to take a chance at him staying here one second longer than he needed to, I grabbed a smorgasbord of food from the counter.
 
Chicken sandwiches, fish sandwiches, double cheeseburgers, hamburgers, fries and onion rings.
 
I grabbed a handful of all the condiments in the bin and put it all in our largest to-go bag.
 

I moved to the register and prepared to hit the cash sale button when I heard that same high-pitched voice that I was certain had just left the restaurant.

“Hey!
 
I didn’t want a girl toy.
 
I’
m a boy.”
 
The child was notably upset, but I didn’t take my eyes off the man with the gun.
 
I reached under the counter to get the boy a new toy.
 
My fingers struggled to find the large toy box without the aid of my eyes showing them the way.
 
I grabbed a handful of them and passed at least five to the boy without even looking at him.

The man with the gun was infuriated.
 
In a thundering voice, he shouted, “What the hell are you doing? You’re ignoring me to give this little brat a toy?”
 
His voice was fierce, and the look he had for me was vicious.
 

Quietly and only to the man, “It’ll only take a second.”
 
The toys were already in the boy’s hands, “and he’ll get out of the way.”
 
The man’s uproar caught the attention of several of the customers, as well as Wanda, the manager on duty.
 
I knew if Wanda saw anything she didn’t like, she would be at my side in the blink of an eye.
 

I didn’t break eye contact with the man and made my body language as relaxed as possible.
 
In the most cheerful tone I could project, “I’ve almost finished your order.”
 
I wondered to myself if it sounded too strained? I was sure it did.
 
I willed in my mind for Wanda to stay where she was.
 

Wanda must have heard what I had just told the man, but thankfully she didn’t come to my assistance.
 
I knew she was watching closely, but at least she was watching from a distance.
 
I didn’t dare turn around to see.

“I want a robot.
 
I already have all the cars.
 
Can I have the blue robot?
 
My dog chewed up my other one and I really liked it.
 
It was my favorite.”
 
I felt his hopeful smile beaming at me.
 

His mother appeared behind him, “Frank, don’t be so demanding; she doesn’t have a blue robot and she’s very generous to give you so many toys.
 
What do you say to her?” She smiled at me oblivious of the danger in a green jacket.
 

The little voice responded, “But I already have all these.
 
I want a blue robot.”
 
The sweet expression that was there a second ago evaporated.
 

Without breaking the gaze of the gunman, I answered the boy, “I’m sorry.
 
That’s all we have.
 
Have a good night.”
 

The child stomped his foot and screeched, “But I already have all these!”
 

His mother was obviously accustomed to his tantrums and did her best to get him away from the counter without a full-blown melt down.
 
She called, “Goodbye Frank, I’m leaving” and started walking to the door.
 
The child erupted with tears, screamed and threw his body at the counter.
 

My attention never left the gunman, I saw him rotate his body toward the child, the gun drawn.
 
The fury on his face was evident.
 
I didn’t think.
 
I just reacted.
 
I leaped over the counter between the furious gunman and the unruly child.

It sounded like a door slammed.
 
The noise must have rattled the gunman as I watched the fury on his face melt into sudden fear.
 
When I first got over the counter, I wasn’t able to stand upright immediately.
 
I’ve never been all that graceful, and leaping over a counter made me a little woozy.
 
I could see the confusion on his face as my body was clearly protecting the child.
 
I used as authoritative a voice as possible.
 
“Leave the boy alone.
 
I’ll give you what you want.
 
You don’t need to use the gun.” He looked at the child on the other side of my body, but then returned his wild gaze to me.
     

The gunman opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
 
His eyes were wide with fright.
 
I wasn’t sure but guessed in that second my sudden movement across the counter must have been more graceful than I realized.
 
I must have thrown him off guard.
 
“You can put your gun away; I’ll give you the cash, just don’t hurt anyone.”
 
My voice was forceful, and I realized instead of moving away from him, I was actually leaning into him as my volume increased.
 

All the fear and anxiety I had felt disappeared.
 
It was replaced by a new wave of confidence.
 
I knew it was likely short-lived and probably a byproduct of all the adrenaline I had pulsing through my bloodstream.
 
My only priority was the safety of the people in the restaurant; I considered moving toward the cash register but believed that might be too offensive of an act.
 
It was bad enough that I was leaning toward him, no sense giving him the indication that I was going to tackle him.
 

Much to my surprise, he put the gun back in his pocket and turned away from me.
 
I was vaguely aware of the customers diving to the floor, trying to locate whatever protection a table might give them.
 
I heard several screams, but they seemed so distant.
 
The man grabbed the bag of food from the counter, and in one smooth motion, he rotated his back to me and was out the door in seconds.
 

Frank’s mother had been at the opposite door from the one the robber had just run through.
 
When I looked at her again, she was standing behind me screaming.
 
Why would she scream after the man left?
 
I didn’t believe anyone had even paid attention to the man but me; hearing her screaming after the fact was just plain weird.
 

Wanda ran from behind the counter, phone in hand as she ran to the door he had just bolted through.
 
She reached for the deadbolt latch and turned it.
 
She grabbed her keys from her pocket and locked a second lock into the floor, nervously jerking it into position.
 
Then she pulled the wire mesh from the ceiling down to the floor, and locked it the way we would if we were closing the restaurant.
 

She sprinted past me, pushing the screaming mother out of the way.
 
Wanda nearly yelled into the phone, “There’s been a robbery at Tasty Burger, 1545 North Main Street.
 
Send the paramedics.”
 

She was obviously not thinking clearly.
 
She had asked for paramedics when she should have asked for the police.
 
As I thought about it, the paramedics were a good idea; the child’s mother was still screaming with loud sobs behind me.
 
She must have gone into shock or something.
 

I was in awe of Wanda.
 
How did she know to react so quickly?
 
The police must show up automatically for a robbery.
 
They’ll think this is a waste of time when they find out the robber only got away with $30 worth of food and condiments.
 
The thought of explaining what happened to the police made me laugh – not many folks get held up for cheeseburgers.
   

I realized that Melissa was still in the freezer, and I needed to go tell her what happened.
 
I started to go around the counter as Wanda finished locking the second door the same as she did the first.
 
This whole effort of locking deadbolts and engaging the high security doors took less than forty-five seconds.
 
I’d never seen Wanda move so fast.
 
I caught Wanda’s eyes as she was walking to me and told her as quietly as I could, “I’ve got to get Melissa out of the freezer.”
 
Wanda grabbed my arm to stop me.

“Let’s get you to a booth and elevate your leg.”
 

Confusion must have spread across my face as I stared at her, “My leg?”
 

Wanda very gently picked me up, my head and shoulders resting on one arm and my legs draped over her other arm. Wanda was wicked strong.
 
How had I never noticed before?
 

I didn’t understand why she was carrying me to a booth.
 
I looked at my leg, and all I saw was crimson.
 
Still confused, I looked over my shoulder for a broken ketchup bottle that I must have knocked over; then the realization hit me; that crimson was warm and wet on my leg.
 
It was my own blood.
 

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This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
 

TAKEN

by
 

Charlotte Abel

Copyright 2012 by Charlotte Abel