A Sandwich to Go Please!

The automatic doors of Extra Foods glided open as he walked into the grocery store. He’d never been here before, but he knew he’d have to move fast. Most places had pre-made sandwiches for people who drop in for lunch in the middle of their work or school day. That’s where he had to get to. He made it through the doors unnoticed, but the cameras would soon pick him up. He quickly made his way to the back of the store. He knew there had to be something he could quickly grab. A ten-dollar bill was crumpled in his left hand. If stopped, he would hold it up as if it were an FBI badge to gain him entrance to anywhere, just like the movies. He’s never tried it before, but this is the first time he has been in a grocery store in a long while, or has had a ten-dollar bill for that matter.

Sneaking through the cereal aisle, he made his way to the rear of the store. His mouth watered at the sight of the delicious cereals. He would love to grab a box of Frosted Flakes, Captain Crunch, or Sugar Crisps. He was never one for the whole diet thing, but he had to get to those sandwiches. If lucky, he would grab a drink too, but that’s pushing it. Would they even let him pay for the sandwich? He hoped so.

He turned the corner and his heart pounded with anticipation. In front of the deli, sat sandwiches or every kind, salads, fruit bowls, and all sorts of juices, milks, and sodas. He stood and stared at the glowing aura that surrounded the wonders that lay in front of him. His stare was cut short when he heard a monotone voice call over the PA system, “Security to camera B9 please. Security to camera B9 please. Thank you.” The loud crashing sound of the receiver being hung up was like thunder. The lightning would soon follow.

He dashed to the sandwiches and grabbed the first one he could. Ham and Cheese. It would do. It cost $2.89. He grabbed a can of cola that was stacked in a pyramid next to the sandwiches. $1.24. A woman stood in the cereal aisle staring at the man. Her child pointed and laughed at him, while holding his favorite cereal, Frosted Flakes. She pushed her cart and child away from the man as fast as she could, and accidentally ran into the side of the isle sending a row of cornflakes flying across the floor. Good riddance, he thought.

When he reached the front of the store, he immediately went to the express lane. Who wouldn‘t? There were two people in line in front of him. The first was a woman who seemed to know of another grocery store that sold the toilet paper she planned to buy, for twenty-three cents cheaper than this store. The cashier had the manager on the line to help her deal with the woman, which was obviously taking a long time because the second person in line, another younger woman, was trying to stop her baby from screaming. He arrived panting loud enough that both of them and the cashier turned and stared at him. He didn’t actually smell at all, but like most people, their first reaction is to plug their noses. The first woman gave in and paid an extra twenty-three cents for her toilet paper, and the second left so that the man behind her could get through faster.

The cashier looked bewildered at the man. She’s never seen someone with such an assortment of ragged clothes before. It’s a known fact that if someone comes in dressed this way, the cashier should immediately expect to be robbed at gun or knifepoint. She took a step back and was going to run, when the man put the ham and cheese sandwich down followed by the can of cola. She froze behind her till. The man flashed her his ten-dollar bill like it was an FBI badge, just like she’d seen so often in the movies, and she started to ring him through.

“Do ya wanna bag with dat?” The woman tried to ask politely, but it came out scared and forceful.

“That’s all right,” The man’s gruff voice answered. “Save the environment I always say.” He grabbed his food and drink as she handed him his change. “Thanks a lot, miss.” Wow, the man thought. This was his first attempt at a grocery store, and it went without a hitch. Food, drink, and change. What a perfect day.

As he went to leave the store, his hitch was standing in front of the exit door. He wore black pants and a shirt that said security across the left breast pocket. He said something into his radio and walked up to the man. “So what do we have here?” The guard was half the age and size of the man. Probably no more than twenty years old. “Why don’t we step aside and have a little chat?” The kid gestured to a small office to the right of the entrance.

“I’d much rather just leave if that’s alright with you.” His heart nearly exploded in his chest. “I haven’t done anything wrong. Just buying some lunch I paid for with my own money.” He flashed the kid his receipt.

The kid knocked it out of his hand. “You think it’s that easy, do ya! Just waltz in here and cause a ruckus.”

“But all I did was buy a sandwich and a can of cola . . ..”

“Ya? That’s it, hey? We got ya on video tape causing a woman to crash her cart into the cereal and making her child cry, and then there was the people at the cashier . . .” The kid crashed into the orange stand that was sitting in front of the entrance when the man rushed into him mid-sentence. As he dashed out the door, he heard the kid calling for backup in his radio. They would never catch him though, he was already gone.

He ran across the Golden Mile parking lot, and back up Albert Street towards the park. There he would be far enough away from the mall, and he would be able to eat his lunch under the shade of a tree. He could just imagine what the next day’s paper would read like. Homeless man robs grocery store and attacks security guard. Mary Albright, describes the encounter with the man as “terrifying”. Mary describes the encounter when, “The homeless man riffled through the pre-made sandwiches with his grubby hands, found the one he wanted, while shoving many others into his jacket pockets. And that’s when he attacked us,” said Mary Albright, mother of beautiful child Nathan Albright, and nurse of the graveyard shift at the General Hospital. “He rushed us and I could see the rage in his eyes, so I tried to run, but the man dumped a row of cereal boxes on us and ran away himself. My baby is just settling down now.” Of course the article will go on to show the security guards valiant effort to stop the thief and attacker, and utilize the front page to show the picture of Mary’s beautiful child Nathan Albright.

Sitting on a bench in Wascanna Park, the old man ate his sandwich and drank his drink. It was the first time in a while he had a decent meal, and he wished he could have another. With the little money he had in his pocket, he could easily afford another sandwich, but now he would have to travel further to get the same meal. Until the news settles down a little, he was more than happy to scrounge for his food that others didn’t want to eat. With his last couple bits of his sandwich, he crumpled them into small balls and fed them to a group of goslings that walked across the grass in front of him. After the honking and squabbling came to an end, the geese waddled off towards the lake and disappeared into the water. The man laid down across the wooden park bench and drifted off to sleep.