nodded to the other two guys and shuffled toward the table I had just wiped down, brushing past me along the way. One of them grabbed the cord to the TV and plugged it in before stretching out in the chair. They made themselves right at home as the sound of the late night show filled the air.
The leader leaned against the counter, crossing his arms over his chest as he stared at me, no doubt sizing me up for whatever they had in store. I forced myself to stand tall, making a show of walking past him and throwing the rag in the sink angrily. They were just trying to intimidate me for some reason and I suspected it was largely due to money and to Felix. I wasn’t going to deal with this myself. I fully intended to call the police and let them deal with it. I wasn’t scared of them, and there was no one they could hurt to make me comply. Mom was safe, Harold was gone, and if they trashed the place, well, I’d just pick up the pieces and soldier on. I wasn’t scared.
I reached for the phone on the wall suddenly, trying to catch them off guard. The leader moved behind the counter quicker than I expected and pulled it off the wall with one hard yank, the entire thing clamoring to the floor as the sheetrock gave way under his strength, a gaping hole left where the phone had been.
“You ain’t calling no one,” he leered, pushing me against the bar.
“I’m not giving you any money either,” I said, my voice shaking a little. I didn’t know if they had weapons and with three of them there, I didn’t stand a chance of walking out of here alive if they decided to pounce on me. My best chance was either to intimidate them or fake them out on what I was going to do. “I already told Felix that I wasn’t giving out handouts.”
His fist landed on the bar counter right beside me, the loud bang echoing in the space. “I don’t care about no Felix or what you told him,” he shouted. “You gone give us some money and you are going to do it with a smile on your face before I have to carve it on.”
He then pointed at my chest with his finger, twirling it around slowly. “So I suggest you find it.”
I swallowed hard, trying to quickly think of what I could do to get out of this. An idea started to form, and I pounced on it. Reaching under the bar, I pretended to press a button, inwardly smiling as his eyes traveled to my arm. “I just alerted the police,” I said, not even having to fake the shakiness of my voice. If he looked, he would see I was lying and then I didn’t know what he would do. “If you leave now, I will call them and tell them it was a false alarm.”
“Shit, man, we gotta get out of here!” one of the others announced, pushing his chair back in a hurry. “I ain’t going to jail tonight.”
The leader looked at me, and I hoped that he didn’t see anything in my eyes that would make him think I was bluffing. He stared at me for a hard moment then backed off, keeping his gaze on me. “A’ight, you win this round, but let me tell you, we will be back and next time we won’t walk out empty-handed.”
I waited until they had disappeared from the glass window before walking over and flipping the locks, angrily turning each one until I was finished. Rage flowed through my veins at what had just happened. I wasn’t scared of them by any means, more like pissed and angry that they would target me and try to scare me into giving them money. It wasn’t going to happen. I wasn’t going to be bullied into funding a gang.
With a sigh, I ran a hand through my hair roughly, methodically unplugging the TV and pushing the chairs back under the table, wiping it down again, undoing everything they had done to the bar. This was my bar, not theirs. They didn’t run this neighborhood. But I didn’t doubt they’d be back the next night, and then the night after that until they got what they wanted. I’d been right to move out of the neighborhood and get my mom away from the violence as well. I hadn’t
The leader leaned against the counter, crossing his arms over his chest as he stared at me, no doubt sizing me up for whatever they had in store. I forced myself to stand tall, making a show of walking past him and throwing the rag in the sink angrily. They were just trying to intimidate me for some reason and I suspected it was largely due to money and to Felix. I wasn’t going to deal with this myself. I fully intended to call the police and let them deal with it. I wasn’t scared of them, and there was no one they could hurt to make me comply. Mom was safe, Harold was gone, and if they trashed the place, well, I’d just pick up the pieces and soldier on. I wasn’t scared.
I reached for the phone on the wall suddenly, trying to catch them off guard. The leader moved behind the counter quicker than I expected and pulled it off the wall with one hard yank, the entire thing clamoring to the floor as the sheetrock gave way under his strength, a gaping hole left where the phone had been.
“You ain’t calling no one,” he leered, pushing me against the bar.
“I’m not giving you any money either,” I said, my voice shaking a little. I didn’t know if they had weapons and with three of them there, I didn’t stand a chance of walking out of here alive if they decided to pounce on me. My best chance was either to intimidate them or fake them out on what I was going to do. “I already told Felix that I wasn’t giving out handouts.”
His fist landed on the bar counter right beside me, the loud bang echoing in the space. “I don’t care about no Felix or what you told him,” he shouted. “You gone give us some money and you are going to do it with a smile on your face before I have to carve it on.”
He then pointed at my chest with his finger, twirling it around slowly. “So I suggest you find it.”
I swallowed hard, trying to quickly think of what I could do to get out of this. An idea started to form, and I pounced on it. Reaching under the bar, I pretended to press a button, inwardly smiling as his eyes traveled to my arm. “I just alerted the police,” I said, not even having to fake the shakiness of my voice. If he looked, he would see I was lying and then I didn’t know what he would do. “If you leave now, I will call them and tell them it was a false alarm.”
“Shit, man, we gotta get out of here!” one of the others announced, pushing his chair back in a hurry. “I ain’t going to jail tonight.”
The leader looked at me, and I hoped that he didn’t see anything in my eyes that would make him think I was bluffing. He stared at me for a hard moment then backed off, keeping his gaze on me. “A’ight, you win this round, but let me tell you, we will be back and next time we won’t walk out empty-handed.”
I waited until they had disappeared from the glass window before walking over and flipping the locks, angrily turning each one until I was finished. Rage flowed through my veins at what had just happened. I wasn’t scared of them by any means, more like pissed and angry that they would target me and try to scare me into giving them money. It wasn’t going to happen. I wasn’t going to be bullied into funding a gang.
With a sigh, I ran a hand through my hair roughly, methodically unplugging the TV and pushing the chairs back under the table, wiping it down again, undoing everything they had done to the bar. This was my bar, not theirs. They didn’t run this neighborhood. But I didn’t doubt they’d be back the next night, and then the night after that until they got what they wanted. I’d been right to move out of the neighborhood and get my mom away from the violence as well. I hadn’t
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