I just went to the grocery store bright and early to buy a candle, sponges, and broccolis, and saw a fight in the parking lot between an employee and a customer. The store had just opened and the entire place was virtually empty.
At the time I didn't understand what was going on, but the cause of the encounter was made clear after I entered the store and heard the manager talking to the battered employee and preparing her story for the police.
Apparently the young couple were suspected of shoplifting while they were browsing the aisles. I don't know why they were suspected nor what they allegedly stole, but the deli employee was unwisely sent outside by the manager to confront the two.
So I park my car and I'm walking in, and I see this short hispanic guy come out of the store. He's dressed in deli gear and has a thick accent.
The couple are getting into a broke down, POS truck covered in rust and choking on exhaust fumes. They both look young, either late teens or very early 20s. The guy is skinny and is sporting some patchy blonde facial hair. He's wearing a trucker mesh had, a wife-beater, and cargo shorts, out of which jut his skinny little legs. There are heavy violet rings around his eyes, as though he's been up for days. He's squinting at the deli employee as he walks towards him. The girl was strikingly pretty. She wore a tight black shirt that accentuated her flawless pale skin and brown eyes, framed by a disheveled but kempt-by-hand halo of light brown hair. She was taking turns looking between the employee and the skinny guy with a nervous look on her face.
I didn't hear the first part of the exchange, but I hear the skinny guy say "Who, me?"
The deli guy replies "No....the lady..."
He says something like "How should I know? Ask her."
Deli guy makes no reply, but something in his face must have made the other dude snap, because he starts shouting, "YOU GOT A FUCKING PROBLEM?"
He gets in the deli guy's face and starts yelling about fucking problems.
The girl half-heartedly warbles something from the truck. It almost sounded like a meow.
Meanwhile, deli guy had not prepared for this. Deli guy is around the same height but much stockier, he probably could have taken skinny guy, but was clearly intimidated. He starts backing away and cringing, putting his hands up.
Skinny guy observes this mid-yell and senses weakness like a shark sensing blood.
I'm walking to the store with my head turned 90 degrees watching this and walk right into a concrete pillar. I mean face first right into it.
Just as I recover and look back at the scene, I see deli guy's hat flying through the air and his apron billowing. It was almost photographic. Skinny guy has his fist balled up and is still screaming. Deli guy starts running back towards the store, his hat laying abandoned on the still cool concrete, yet to be warmed by the coming day.
The guy runs to his truck and jumps in. It fails to crank a few times, and then they peel out of the parking
The entire thing resembled a John Updike story if John Updike had been a heroin addict.
At the time I didn't understand what was going on, but the cause of the encounter was made clear after I entered the store and heard the manager talking to the battered employee and preparing her story for the police.
Apparently the young couple were suspected of shoplifting while they were browsing the aisles. I don't know why they were suspected nor what they allegedly stole, but the deli employee was unwisely sent outside by the manager to confront the two.
So I park my car and I'm walking in, and I see this short hispanic guy come out of the store. He's dressed in deli gear and has a thick accent.
The couple are getting into a broke down, POS truck covered in rust and choking on exhaust fumes. They both look young, either late teens or very early 20s. The guy is skinny and is sporting some patchy blonde facial hair. He's wearing a trucker mesh had, a wife-beater, and cargo shorts, out of which jut his skinny little legs. There are heavy violet rings around his eyes, as though he's been up for days. He's squinting at the deli employee as he walks towards him. The girl was strikingly pretty. She wore a tight black shirt that accentuated her flawless pale skin and brown eyes, framed by a disheveled but kempt-by-hand halo of light brown hair. She was taking turns looking between the employee and the skinny guy with a nervous look on her face.
I didn't hear the first part of the exchange, but I hear the skinny guy say "Who, me?"
The deli guy replies "No....the lady..."
He says something like "How should I know? Ask her."
Deli guy makes no reply, but something in his face must have made the other dude snap, because he starts shouting, "YOU GOT A FUCKING PROBLEM?"
He gets in the deli guy's face and starts yelling about fucking problems.
The girl half-heartedly warbles something from the truck. It almost sounded like a meow.
Meanwhile, deli guy had not prepared for this. Deli guy is around the same height but much stockier, he probably could have taken skinny guy, but was clearly intimidated. He starts backing away and cringing, putting his hands up.
Skinny guy observes this mid-yell and senses weakness like a shark sensing blood.
I'm walking to the store with my head turned 90 degrees watching this and walk right into a concrete pillar. I mean face first right into it.
Just as I recover and look back at the scene, I see deli guy's hat flying through the air and his apron billowing. It was almost photographic. Skinny guy has his fist balled up and is still screaming. Deli guy starts running back towards the store, his hat laying abandoned on the still cool concrete, yet to be warmed by the coming day.
The guy runs to his truck and jumps in. It fails to crank a few times, and then they peel out of the parking
The entire thing resembled a John Updike story if John Updike had been a heroin addict.
