Five Guys Out On The Town

word count, 268

        I locked the car and put the key in my pocket, trying to keep track of the four boisterous six year-old boys.  What a mistake this had been.  What the heck had I been thinking?  My wife would later tell me I wasn’t, but I guess that isn’t really much of a surprise.  By the time I caught up with the little rapscallions they had ordered seven deluxe meals, three chocolate shakes, and two coffees.  One was for me, how thoughtful.  And five paper cardboard crowns.

    I changed the order slightly, telling the non-native English speaker behind the counter we wanted five meals, four chocolate shakes, one coffee and four crowns.  She never did get the crown part.  We received our meals, drinks, and crowns.  I put on my crown and took a sip of my shake.  It was good.

    That’s when a guy with pantyhose on his head runs into the place brandishing a gun, a big gun.  He was screaming something about money when the four boys saw the pistol.  Immediately, they mobbed him. 

    “Hey mister, is that a real gun?”

    “I have a squirt gun that looks just like that except it is smaller and green.”

    “Did you get that thing on your head from my mom?”

    “Hey, can I hold that is it loaded can I shoot it?”

    The guy looked at the kids, fearfully.  They pretty much had him hemmed in.  He looked at me in my crown.  He looked at the kid with the coffee in his hand.  He fled screaming.  I don’t know why, he’s the guy that had the gun.

word count, 268