Page 19 of All Out of Love

Toya smiled too. She always did like Bam. She glanced at him. He was one of the smartest guys she knew, but he just never did anything with it. “You still doing construction?”

“When I can get it. It’s been slow lately. But why would they hire Americans when they can hire them illegals they pay next to nothing to do the same work?”

“Ain’t that many illegals in this big city, Bam, come on now. There’s plenty of jobs to go around.”

“You say. But that ain’t what I see.”

“Then maybe you need glasses,” Toya said as she pulled into the parking lot of the gas station.

Bam laughed. “I been needed glasses,” he said, and they both got out of the car.

Bam waited for Toya to walk toward his side of the car. And with Keisha out of sight, he didn’t hide his admiration. “You sure fine girl,” he said, as he watched her in her short shorts and her tucked-in t-shirt. “You got the perfect legs. Anybody ever tell you that?”

“Don’t start, Bam.”

“Start what? I’m just being honest! You got the kind of figure I crave, girl. And I’ll say it in front of Keisha too.”

“Yeah right.”

“What’s wrong with giving you a compliment?”

“Compliment your own woman. I’m not the one,” she said plainly to him.

He held up his hands. “Don’t chop my head off damn,” he said, and they both laughed.

When they got in the store, Bam headed straight for the beer section while Toya headed for the chips. She was going by the Chicken Shack to get dinner, but she needed chips and lunch meat to pack for work. After getting the chips, she went over by the refrigerated section.

That was when she saw Bam. He was still fumbling around in the beer section of the refrigerator. “Damn, Bam. What’s taking you so long?” She opened the door two doors away from him to pull out a pack of chopped ham.

“I told you I need glasses,” he said as he suddenly grabbed a six pack and made his way up front.

She shook her head. He could be so weird sometimes! But she had her own problems. She grabbed the ham and made her way to the front counter too.

The cashier, a short Korean man, was ringing up Bam’s beer when she walked up, but Bam kept looking toward the entrance and around the inside of the store. Nobody was in there but the two of them and the cashier. What was he looking for?

But that was when he pulled out a gun. Toya couldn’t believe it. “Bam, what are you doing?” she whispered to him.

Then Bam pointed the gun at the cashier. “Give me all the money! All of it!”

“Bam put that away! Are you crazy? Put it away!” Toya was screaming at Bam as the terrified Korean was speaking a language she couldn’t understand.

But before anything could happen, the Korean jumped over the counter top and grabbed for that gun.

Toya backed up when he and Bam began fighting for control of the gun. She was so stunned that no words would come out of her mouth. But she knew what was happening. She had to help that Korean get that gun from Bam. He might get that gun and shoot them both, but she wasn’t going to stand by and let Bam shoot that innocent cashier.

But Bam and that Korean were going at it too hard. They both were on top of the countertop, knocking candy bars and breath mints all over the front of the store as they wrestled for control.

Toya was just about to pull Bam off of that Korean when the gun went off. She backed up in horror when the Korean slid off of the countertop and fell to the floor.

Toya looked at Bam in shock. Did he just shoot a man? But Bam didn’t delay for a second. He jumped behind that countertop, opened the register, and grabbed all the cash inside. Then he hopped back over.

Toya was on the floor, to see if the Korean still had a pulse, but Bam grabbed her by her shirt. “Let’s go!” he yelled.

“He could die, Bam.”

“That’s his problem. I was defending myself. Now let’s go before somebody come in here and see us!”

“Us? There ain’t no us,” Toya said angrily.