|
for the next 20 minutes, I settled back to watch. When he got into the store, he cautiously walked around the store as if casing it.
• So many stores are being robbed; I didn't know but this man was planning to pull off a heist. My interest piqued, which kept my mind off the trouble I was in with my wife when she arrived to pick me up.
• When a person is in trouble, it is always a good thing to try to take one's mind off said trouble, and on someone who might be in more trouble than you are at the moment. At least, that's what I told myself at the time.
• When a person is facing trouble, he will say anything to himself to calm those jagged nerves.
• The man walked around the store several times, always glancing over his shoulder as if he expected something to happen.
• As far as I could tell, he was an ordinary man with no special features. He walked with a slow shuffle, but that's to be expected when a man's body ages.
• I saw him stand over against a corner for several minutes while he intently watched the front door. A little spooked by this time, I did not know if I should alert the manager or call the police.
• I envisioned the headlines in the newspapers the next day: "Local pastor dies a hero's death in the crossfire." I sure would like to be a hero, but only in my own mind.
• This hero business can be a little dangerous, so I was in a quandary.
• In scanning the gentleman as best I could, I knew he could not have a large weapon on his person. The loose fitting shirt revealed no bomb strapped to his chest, which was a little comforting.
• Then the gentleman began to move and I froze. My life flashed before me in an (Continued on page 7)
|
|
