State Your Case

By Amanda Lawrence Auverigne

            “Welcome to GreedyBurger. Can I take your order?” The teenaged server asked.

            Lisa moved to the counter and she smiled at the teenaged girl who stood behind the large cash register in front of her. 

            “Yes, I would like a BoosterBurger with onion rings and…”  Linda began.

            Linda felt a hand press against her spine just before she was pushed roughly forward.  She fell against the metal counter and the front portion of her body slammed against the steel table with  a loud bang.

            Lisa looked up and she saw a short bald man standing beside her.

            The man’s face was covered with wrinkles and a thin pool of sweat glistened along the top of his head.

            The old man stared at the teenaged girl in front of him and he slammed his fist against the metal counter.

            “I’ll tell you want I want! I want a darned refund!” The bald man shouted.

            The teenager stepped away from the counter and she raised her hands.

            “Uh, let me get the manager.”  The girl said.

            “Yes! You do that!” The bald man yelled.

            “Excuse me!  But I was next. I have been waiting in this line for twenty minutes! And so have the people behind me.” Linda said.

            The bald man turned away from the teenaged girl and he looked at Linda.  He drew back his lips and he let out a loud hiss.

            Linda moved away from the bald man.

            “I’m the manager. Sir, what can I do for you?”  A low voice asked.

            Linda turned from the bald man. She looked behind the metal counter and she saw a tall teenaged boy dressed in a dark suit.

            “My complaint is about this shake!” The bald man shouted.

            The bald man reached behind him.  He pulled out a large cardboard cup and he slammed the container atop the metal table with a resounding bang.

            “What was it about the shake that you didn’t like? Did one of the servers give you the wrong flavor? Was it warm?” the manager asked.

            The bald man pulled the plastic top off of the paper cup. He turned the container upside down and he dumped the contents of the cup onto the steel counter.

            A flood of thick pink ooze splashed across the steel table and a large dead rat lay in the center of the frothy liquid.

            “Rat!  It’s a rat!  There’s a rat in that man’s shake!” Linda shrieked.

            Lisa turned around and she pushed at the crowd of standing people behind her as she ran.

            Loud screams filled the restaurant just before all of the standing customers fled from the eatery.

            The bald man slammed the lower portion of the empty  cup against the counter.  He stared at the wide eyed teens behind the metal table with impatience.

            “I want my money back!” The bald man shouted.

            “But, sir.  We can’t just give you the money.” The manager said.

            “What!” The old man screamed.

            “Just listen to me for a moment.  Now, how do I know that you didn’t bring that here inside of  your pocket?”  The manager asked.

            The bald man took a step away from the counter.  He reached inside of his jacket and he pulled out a long gray object.  He moved forward and he slammed the thing onto the counter with a loud grunt.

            The teenaged manager stared at the severed hand that lay on the table with a loud gulp.

            “Now, can I get my money?” The bald man asked.