If Only I'd Seen

“Make sure to hurry Amy. We have to be at your aunt’s house in a little over an hour and we still have to pick up your brother,” said my dad as he pulled into the parking lot of my favorite store.

Okay it’s not a clothing store. I’m not like most teenage girls. I don’t like to shop for clothes, shoes or other such things. My favorite store is a supermarket. I spend most of my time there. I know it sounds silly but hey. I even got a job there over the summer but my mom made me quite when school started so I could concentrate on my school work.

“Seriously, dad I’ll hurry, stop pestering me.” I got out of the car. I was about to close the door when I heard my dad call “you left the shopping list!” I snatched the list from his hand. He smirked as I slammed the car door.

I walked knew me by name. I was so familiar with this store that I didn’t look up from my list. I didn’t have to. I knew where everything was. I should have looked up, if I had I would have seen him sooner. I would have been able to run. I would have been able to escape. But I didn’t look up and I didn’t see the man who now saw me.

I walked up and down the isles tossing things into my cart as I walked. I soon came to the deli counter. I spent a lot of time standing here talking. But I did not have time to talk today. These people were my friends for I had never gotten along well with people my own age.

“Hi Amy. What would you like today?” said the man behind the counter.

“Hey Phil. I just need about two pounds of ham.”

“Would you like it sliced thick or thin?” he asked with a smile.

“Thin,” I said smiling back at him, “you know that.”

“I still have to ask its part of my job.”

We both laughed. Every time I came he would ask “thick or thin” and every time the same conversation would follow. It was sort of our little joke.

“Here you go,” Phil said handing me the packaged ham, “have a nice day.”

“Thanks Phil,” I said then winked “I’ll probably see you tomorrow.”

I continued up and down the isles gradually making my way to the back of the store where the lights were broken and it was almost pitch black. “I don’t mind though.” I thought almost smugly to myself, “I can walk through this store without light.”

Then I saw someone behind me. I did not see him clearly for it was just a glace in my peripheral vision. For a second I was scared but then I laughed at myself; it was probably just another shopper or an employee. As I walked down the last isle, the man behind me started walking faster. I could hear his footsteps behind me. When he was only three feet from me, I spun around to face him. My heart dropped into my stomach. NO it couldn’t be. This man was in jail. He was a murderer and the judge had sentenced him to life in jail. But he was clearly the same man I had watched kill my sister for I would never forget his face. Was he here to kill me? I was a witness though I had been to young to have testified properly. I was terrified. If I had not been frozen in place I would have yelled, plead for mercy. He reached out to grab my arm. No, please no. into the store I knew so well I came here so often most of the employees