Andre98
02-24-2003, 01:16 PM
I was in a new convenience store that opened up in our town on a long neglected corner just this past Saturday. I discovered at around the holidays, and the added bonus is, it has a license to sell beer and hard liquor, with the 7-11s and average convenience stores in New Jersey do not have. So now, I'm in there getting what not for whatever, I'm the only customer. A woman was leaving as I was coming in, and had actually said to the woman behind the counter, "are you here alone, girl, ohhh it's spooky!" I am not sure what the counter person replied. I got a couple items and came to the counter to pay. In walks two rail thin young brothers, decked out in the full regalia that strikes fear in the hearts of citizens. I don't know about cornrows, but the do-rags, two layer hooded sweatshirts, Tims, etc... were all in place.
Okay, I am not going to pre-judge, I tell myself, but this is a 7-11 type set up, and most people would drive up in a car. No car is outside, at least not visible from the windows except mine. The houses in walking distance stink of money, no way these brothers live around any corner. Yeah, they could, but my radar is sounding in my head, and it comes from more than just knee jerk profiling. They are looking around, scanning the store. I can see there is a third man outside. "So what you gettin' man?" "I don't know...supthin'" They say to each other. They kind of start off in opposite directions from the door, but their paths were crossing, so they bumped slightly into each other clumsily, and then one heads for the back of the store, the other stops after a couple steps turns back around, and opens the front door again, and goes out just as the third dude, looking like his twin, comes in. The man that just went out stands directly in front of the door looking left and right, left and right again. You would have to excuse yourself to get past him if you were coming or going. I am not staring, just catching this in the window reflection, as the east indian woman, working alone, is bagging my stuff, (and not nearly fast enough!) and giving me change. Her smiling expression was fading slightly, but bless her heart, she did not seem as alarmed as I did. I didn't get eye contact with her, and I had some eyebrow movements to throw her way if I did.
Now, I am no hero, but I did suspect that if any shit is about to go down, and that actually starts to get me a little angry. They are either planning to have me be part of it as a victim, or waiting for me to leave. I was worried about the girl, but my first worry was wifey out in the car. If they needed a car to bolt in, she is a sitting duck. Keep in mind, i was born and raised in the 'hood...West Philly was no joke. Been around black folk all my life. This was not a ghetto fabulous trio. I could see a hardness in their eyes, in their faces. The one that had gone to the back of the store came back up the aisle and walked behind me. You know how someone passes behind you, from the left to right, you aren't trying to watch them, but you expect them to continue on out on past on the other side? Homie stopped dead behind me, and the way the shelving of the aisle came out, he was right behind me, less than a body's width of space between us. Especially with black men, that's hella close to be up on somebody!
Any second now, I expected a whomp on the head, or feel the cold steel of a barrel pressed to my neck. I said to myself, what the hell, at least I'm going to see it coming, and stepped to the side, at a 90 degree angle to the man, and looked him dead in the face, ready to say, "hey, how's it going", or "what's up" or something, as soon as I get eye contact. He gave me a split second look, but before I could say anything, he looked down at the floor and spun around, heading back up the aisle, to the back of the store again. So Homie1 is in the back, homie 2 at the door on the inside, homie3 outside at the door.
I walked to the door calmly as though nothing was happening, because in truth, nothing had happened at that point. I knew the moment of truth was would they let me out the door or not. No prob, the inside and outside dude steps aside, just enough. I got in the car, and wifey said, she thought she would hear gunshots any second when she saw that group ago in. They had come walking up. I got in and took off, and we debated about whether this is something that justifies calling the cops. I thought what ever may be happening will be done by the time any cops get there, and when i said maybe we should circle back , wifey said " not with me in the car!" She's right. I would feel bad if i read anything about a robbery and/or that clerk/owner being hurt, but wouldn't be able to forgive myself if anything happened to my wife. A robbery in a NJ small town would not make any big splash in the papers, and certainly not the NYC based news unless death was involved, so I'll take no news as good news. I actually have yet to check the Monday Record to see if there is any mention.
Now, was I wrong to be so suspicious? Or is there, in this case just cause to be reasonably concerned?
Okay, I am not going to pre-judge, I tell myself, but this is a 7-11 type set up, and most people would drive up in a car. No car is outside, at least not visible from the windows except mine. The houses in walking distance stink of money, no way these brothers live around any corner. Yeah, they could, but my radar is sounding in my head, and it comes from more than just knee jerk profiling. They are looking around, scanning the store. I can see there is a third man outside. "So what you gettin' man?" "I don't know...supthin'" They say to each other. They kind of start off in opposite directions from the door, but their paths were crossing, so they bumped slightly into each other clumsily, and then one heads for the back of the store, the other stops after a couple steps turns back around, and opens the front door again, and goes out just as the third dude, looking like his twin, comes in. The man that just went out stands directly in front of the door looking left and right, left and right again. You would have to excuse yourself to get past him if you were coming or going. I am not staring, just catching this in the window reflection, as the east indian woman, working alone, is bagging my stuff, (and not nearly fast enough!) and giving me change. Her smiling expression was fading slightly, but bless her heart, she did not seem as alarmed as I did. I didn't get eye contact with her, and I had some eyebrow movements to throw her way if I did.
Now, I am no hero, but I did suspect that if any shit is about to go down, and that actually starts to get me a little angry. They are either planning to have me be part of it as a victim, or waiting for me to leave. I was worried about the girl, but my first worry was wifey out in the car. If they needed a car to bolt in, she is a sitting duck. Keep in mind, i was born and raised in the 'hood...West Philly was no joke. Been around black folk all my life. This was not a ghetto fabulous trio. I could see a hardness in their eyes, in their faces. The one that had gone to the back of the store came back up the aisle and walked behind me. You know how someone passes behind you, from the left to right, you aren't trying to watch them, but you expect them to continue on out on past on the other side? Homie stopped dead behind me, and the way the shelving of the aisle came out, he was right behind me, less than a body's width of space between us. Especially with black men, that's hella close to be up on somebody!
Any second now, I expected a whomp on the head, or feel the cold steel of a barrel pressed to my neck. I said to myself, what the hell, at least I'm going to see it coming, and stepped to the side, at a 90 degree angle to the man, and looked him dead in the face, ready to say, "hey, how's it going", or "what's up" or something, as soon as I get eye contact. He gave me a split second look, but before I could say anything, he looked down at the floor and spun around, heading back up the aisle, to the back of the store again. So Homie1 is in the back, homie 2 at the door on the inside, homie3 outside at the door.
I walked to the door calmly as though nothing was happening, because in truth, nothing had happened at that point. I knew the moment of truth was would they let me out the door or not. No prob, the inside and outside dude steps aside, just enough. I got in the car, and wifey said, she thought she would hear gunshots any second when she saw that group ago in. They had come walking up. I got in and took off, and we debated about whether this is something that justifies calling the cops. I thought what ever may be happening will be done by the time any cops get there, and when i said maybe we should circle back , wifey said " not with me in the car!" She's right. I would feel bad if i read anything about a robbery and/or that clerk/owner being hurt, but wouldn't be able to forgive myself if anything happened to my wife. A robbery in a NJ small town would not make any big splash in the papers, and certainly not the NYC based news unless death was involved, so I'll take no news as good news. I actually have yet to check the Monday Record to see if there is any mention.
Now, was I wrong to be so suspicious? Or is there, in this case just cause to be reasonably concerned?