The Bicycle Robbery

The door opened and Sharon glanced up to see a man entering the bank.

He was wearing a dark ball cap and had a navy scarf wrapped around his face.

He walked over to the nearest teller and pulled a little black book out of the back right pocket of his jeans. Flipping through the pages, he found the note and carefully tore it out. 

Then he stepped up to the wicket and passed it over.

Alisha was the youngest employee at the bank. She'd only worked there for a few months and was still a bit unsure of how to handle certain situations. 

She took the note, unfolded it carefully, and squinted through her thick dark glasses to read it. It said,

'This is a robbery, I have a gun, give me $20,000 right now'.

She glanced at the man who was standing there, quietly watching her. Then she reached up to tuck a piece of hair behind her ear as she decided what to do.

He glared at her and pushed the hand that was in his pocket. It was a gesture she'd seen all too often at the movies and she knew it meant I've got a gun.

"Hang on a minute", she said and walked over to the teller at the next wicket. When she got there, she passed the note to Sharon.

Sharon had worked at the bank for sixteen years and was close to retirement. She took the note, read it, and looked at Alicia. Then she sighed and handed it back.

She looked at the man, who was waiting patiently for his robbery to 'take effect'. She sighed again and rolled her eyes.

"Keep him busy. I'll be back in a minute", she said. Then she turned on one heel and went to the vault where the head teller was working. 

Beatrice looked up as Sharon came into the vault. She took off her reading glasses and let them dangle from the chain around her neck. 

"What's up"? she said.

"I think you'd better come out front", Sharon said quietly, "there's a situation and we need your help". 

Beatrice used a sticky note to mark her place and closed the file she was working on. Then she followed Sharon to the front of the bank. 

The robber was still standing there, waiting patiently. He had pulled out the little black book and was flipping through the pages, reading intently.

Alicia came over to Beatrice and handed her the note.

"It's a robbery" she whispered nervously. Beatrice read the note and leaned over to the young teller.

"We should lock the vault. You go do it and I'll take care of this guy." She passed her the keys. Alicia nodded and disappeared into the back.

Beatrice thought for another moment, and said to the robber, "I'll be with you in just a minute sir. Sharon, would you take my post?"  

Without waiting for a response, she hurried down a long hall to the boardroom, where a meeting was taking place. She knocked, then opened the door and stepped inside.

At first, they were irritated at the interruption.

"What's this?" said the man from head office. He was in the middle of a presentation and was writing on a whiteboard while his assistant was passing out folders.

"We're being robbed," she told the group.

The manager closest to the door stood up immediately and moved to the far side of the room. One of the other men sniggered and elbowed the man next to him.

"What should we do"? he said. "Are they armed?"

"I'm not sure. The note said he has a gun, but he looks pretty harmless."

"Just one guy?" said another. "Stay here while we call the police."

"I'm going back out there", said Beatrice firmly. "My girls are there, and I'm not leaving them alone."

"You can't", he said, "it's too dangerous".

"Darn right I can", she said, and then she left the boardroom. No one followed.

Beatrice discovered Sharon chatting at the robber.

"Why $20,000 anyway? Most robbers don't ask for an exact amount."

"Usually, it's like -' give me all the money or else.' " She was goofing around, pretending to have a gun.

"It's not like that," he said. His voice was a bit muffled and he pulled the scarf out a bit so she could hear him better.

"What do you mean?"

"Let's just say I owe someone $20,000, and I have to get it today." The robber wrinkled his forehead in an attempt to look like he meant business. "They said they'd break my legs."

"You'll ruin your life", Sharon said. "This is a bad decision, I'm telling you now, don't do it." 

Beatrice's years of training finally kicked in.

"Give him the money," she said.

"Really?" said Sharon. "This is real? I thought it was some kind of training exercise." Then she turned back to the guy. "Sorry."

The man shrugged, then poked the hand in his pocket menacingly.

"Do you have a bag or something"? Sharon asked. The robber shook his head.

"You don't even have a bag?" Sharon's eyebrows rose in disbelief.

"Just give him a bag," said Beatrice. "Find him something."

Sharon looked under her desk and emptied her garbage onto the floor. Then she dumped her money tray into it. 

"Make sure you count it. I need $20,000." said the man.

She went to the main teller's wicket and opened a drawer, and pulled out several stacks of bills. She thumbed through the stack, double-checking the amounts, and put them inside.

"There should be enough there," she said as she passed it to him.

"Thanks." The man took the bag and hurried outside without checking.

Beatrice quickly walked to the main doors and locked them, following what she had been taught. This was supposed to keep robbers from taking hostages. 

As soon as the coast was clear, the bank manager came out from the back and checked that the door was locked. 

"Good work everyone," he said to no one in particular. "Is everyone ok?"

Then he joined Beatrice at the window, trying to catch a glimpse of the getaway car. Also, something they'd been taught.

She watched in disbelief as he traded his ball cap for a red and black helmet. He zipped open the pannier on his bike and stuffed the bag with the money inside. 

Then he hopped on the bright yellow 10 speed and rode away.

It was a small town, and she recognized that bike. 

The police were at his house by the time he made it home.

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