LeBron grabbed a cart full of roses and emptied the roses back into the flower case. He casually walked around the perimeter of the store to get to the door leading to the back. He rapped on the door until someone looked out at him through the windows cut into the door. The doors opened and he pushed his cart through.
“Hey man. If you’re loading up back here, you just got to be careful when you walk back out into the store. Those people are going to freak out if you have the stuff they’re looking for.” The stock boy who’d opened the door for him gave him the warning then went back to stacking boxes full of toilet paper on a pallet.
LeBron walked around grabbing the items his parents had told him to focus on. Basically, anything that didn’t go bad quickly. Lots of pasta, canned food, and the obligatory huge package of toilet paper. They had plenty of drinking water stored in their garage already so that wasn’t a priority. Feeling his phone vibrate LeBron pulled it out and saw it was his mom group texting to see how everyone was doing. He replied the shopping was fine, but the lines were insane. Done texting he headed for the door leading back into the store. As he was struggling to open the doors so he could push the cart out he got another text from his sister. She was letting him know she’d parked up on the median and was headed his way.
A group of men standing around the back of the store staring at the empty shelves saw him coming out of the back with his full grocery cart. LeBron recognized the man who’d shoved the manager out of his way.
“Hey. Hold that door!” The man yelled at him as he rushed towards LeBron.
LeBron pushed his cart out into the store and let the door shut behind him. He ignored the man shouting at him and hurriedly pushed his cart over to one of the checkout lines.
“What if I just take your cart?” The man he’d just blocked from getting in the back had sidled up next to LeBron in line. Another man was with him. They looked like they may be brothers.
“Yeah. Why’d you shut the door so we couldn’t get back in the stock room? You special or something? Why do you get a full cart?” LeBron could smell the man’s nicotine fueled breath. He didn’t know what to do. These guys were easily in their thirties and considerably bigger than him.
“Why don’t you just give us this cart and you go get another one for yourself?” The original man suggested as he nudged LeBron away from the cart. All around him people were studiously ignoring the exchange. No one wanted to get involved and risk losing their place in lines or whatever supplies they’d been able to grab. More than a few of them were just as ticked as the two guys bullying LeBron that he’d been able to get special attention. LeBron fought back the tears welling up in his eyes.
“Hey LeBron. Is that your cart?” Yue asked loudly from where she was walking towards him from the front of the store. She was radiating righteous anger.
“This is our cart. The boy here was just leaving to go get himself another one. You should go with him.” The man stepped firmly behind the cart knocking LeBron completely out of the way. He stood there smiling at the tall Asian girl who’d made her way close enough to get in his face.
“Let’s just go.” LeBron said. Yue looked over at him then at the two grown men standing there staring back at her. Neither of the dirtbags looked like they were going to give an inch. She scanned the crowd around her but didn’t see where anyone looked like they were willing to step in and help. Everyone had their own problems.
Yue stuck her middle finger in the guy’s face. He reached across the cart and tried to grab her. Laughing she backed away from him with both middle fingers up in the air. The guy shoved the cart full of food at her trying to jam her up against the empty shelves. She grabbed the front of the cart and pulled hard enough on it that the cart flew over landing on its side. The extremely pissed off pair of brothers both started cussing at her. One got close enough to grab her. He was pushed back by a uniformed policeman who appeared out of nowhere. LeBron casually dropped the can of beans he’d been about to brain the guy with.
Seeing the manager that he’d helped up earlier standing beside the cop told LeBron who the hero in this story was. He mouthed a big thank you to her as the cop walked the two troublemakers out of the store. LeBron and Yue heaved the cart back up and worked on picking up everything with some help from the manager. After waiting in line for what seemed like forever they checked out and headed into the parking lot.
“I let everybody know we’re on the way.” Yue said sliding her phone back into her pocket.
LeBron nodded absently. He was staring all around to make sure the guys from the store weren’t going to jump out from behind a car and attack them. He was pretty sure the cop probably had better things to focus on than attempted grand theft cart. The parking lot was less crazy now. Probably because
