A Woman

A woman waits in line behind two kids at the corner 7/11. She watches them take their candy, get on their bikes, and ride away. She sets her Ramen and antacids on the counter and half smiles at the seventeen year-old high school drop out. Without making eye contact, he tells her: “$5.79” She hands him the last of her cash with an apology. As he opens the drawer, she fumbles under her coat and her trembling hand pulls out the gun...