The electronic store was to open early. With a new line of integrated cell phones on the market, Samir Hassan had secured his order several months ago. A group of teenagers were outside conversing, waiting to step inside. Samir smiled as he unlocked the weather beaten door. Two of the teens pushed him back, almost knocking him to the ground.
"Hey old man, you got the GSL-four iPhone?” asked the tall, thin boy.
Samir straightened up and went behind the counter to a display showing off the models that had just been released by Oncor, highlighting its latest technology.
“Yes, I do. May I show it to you?” asked Samir.
His wrinkled hands trembled as he removed the phone from its cradle. As he turned to show it to the young man, his friend, who was more muscular, snatched it from Samir.
“You don’t need to show us anything…how much?” asked the young teen in a rough voice. The group laughed.
“This model, the one you have, is on sale for eight hundred and seventy-five dollars. This is a good price.” Samir smiled.
The teens whispered among themselves and ignored Samir. Finally, the tall teen held the phone in his hand, then slipped it into his pocket.
“What do you think you’re doing?” asked Samir while moving around the counter toward the young man who took the phone.
“What do you think I’m doing, old man? I’m taking this phone, and there’s nothing you can do about it! Look around; it’s us against you, old man.”
The four teenage bullies stood shoulder to shoulder. Samir slowly backed up.
“You should know it is just a model. It does not have the capabilities of the actual phone. It is for demonstration only.” Samir’s back was up against the wall.
The four boys looked at one another. “I don’t believe you!” shouted the muscular male.
Before Samir could say another word, they scurried outside and disappeared.
Samir released his breath. It would only be a matter of time before they realized Samir was telling them the truth. The phone would not work. It was for demonstration only.
Samir was busy closing up his shop for the day. The sun was setting, and the street gangs would be coming out soon. He remembered a time when he didn’t have to worry about thugs. It was during the time when his parents were still alive. Samir was born in Oak Village. A friendly, tiny suburb of San Francisco. His parents had immigrated from Egypt to the United States in the early fifties, and they’d worked hard and built a stable business. When they were alive, the area of Oak Village was thriving and occupied by families. Now, almost fifty years later, it had become a cesspool of drugs and violence.
Samir turned off the “Open” sign and locked the deadbolt on the wooden door. He’d sold only three cell phones the entire day. He knew if sales didn’t pick up, he wouldn’t be able to keep the store open much longer. Any savings he’d set aside had been used on inventory and mounting bills. He didn’t want to face the inevitable, but maybe it was for the better. He’d always met his competition head-on, but the last five years had been the hardest.
As he pulled down the shades on the shop windows, he noticed two hooded figures standing under the lit streetlight on the sidewalk. Hurriedly, he moved away from the window, so as not to attract unwanted attention. He climbed the back stairway to an apartment above.
The warped door creaked, then moaned. His apartment was scarcely furnished. He didn’t mind. The way he liked it. It was home.
As he shuffled to the small bedroom, he heard a loud thud below. Samir’s heart skipped a beat.
Did someone break in? Should he go back down to confront the intruder?
He waited a moment and listened. Silence engulfed the apartment and store below. As he got ready for bed, he realized how bad his hands hurt. The agonizing arthritis was growing each day. But what did he expect at his age? Thankfully, Samir was still basically healthy. His eyes grew heavy as he lay down on the lumpy mattress.
As the night slowly slipped into the early hours of dawn, a crash startled Samir awake. At first, he felt disoriented coming out of such a deep sleep. He then realized the noise had come from below. He sat up in bed and glanced at the clock on his nightstand. It read 4:30 a.m. As he threw off the covers and slipped his feet into his slippers, another crash echoed from his store.
Samir let out a huge sigh. He knew it must be the young men who came into his shop earlier and stole the cell phone. Getting up, he shuffled to the doorway, quietly unlocked the door, and descended the steps. The crash of splintering glass continued. Laughing and yelling bounced against the walls of the store. As he met the bottom, Samir inched his way around the corner. One of the two shadowy figures raised a bat high in the air, then let it drop, smashing the empty glass case.
Samir flipped a switch, and the overhead fluorescent bulbs flooded the room with light. Both hooded figures turned to face their adversary.
“You owe me a phone that works, old man!” shouted the tall young man who’d stolen the cell phone hours ago from the shop. The other hooded hoodlum was the shorter muscular young man who’d been an accomplice.
“I’m going to mess you up, old man!” he shouted.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, young man.” Samir took a step backward and put his hand on the wall.
The shorter guy hissed. “This old man thinks he can take us…what a joke! When I finish with you, all that’ll be left is a bag of bones.” The muscular assailant took one step.
“Stop! I’m warning you. You and your friend are going to regret ever coming back into my store.”
Both of the hooded figures looked at one another—and shrieked with laughter. Seconds went by as they both walked toward Samir. Instantly, the floor beneath them shifted and opened. Both hoodlums screamed as they disappeared into the depths of darkness. Then, as quickly as the floor opened, it closed, shutting out their strangled cries.
“I warned you…but you wouldn’t listen.”
Samir glanced around his ruined shop. He knew now it was time to retire and enjoy the remainder of his life. For a brief moment, he thought about the two unnamed young men. They wouldn’t be hurting anyone anymore or destroying any more property. Their lives had been snuffed out in an instant.
A wide smile crept across his wrinkled face. “Retirement…here I come!” he said out loud to no one.
Samir was never one to back down from a challenge.
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