What Would You Do?

I was standing in line at Family Dollar today when three kids came running in the door heaving deep sighs of relief from the heat. The frigid store stands directly in front of the bus stop so while Mom waited outside the kids were free to cool off near the cash registers.

The youngest boy - not quite two I'd say - made a bee line for the toys while his sisters hung around the checkout counter where the candy was displayed. I hadn't been waiting two minutes before the girls had each taken, opened and started munching on a package of candy.

They didn't have money with them and it didn't matter anyway because they did not pay. When Mom propped open the door hollered at them to get back outside all three left and stood outside in front of the door.

The bus hadn't come and the line hadn't moved (normally I would be annoyed at this wait), so I watched the girls through the glass doors. There are security cameras everywhere in Family Dollar, so would something happen?

The older - maybe six or seven years old - was picking candy out of the container and chewing away not even a foot outside of the front door. The younger - I'd say 4 or 5 - embarrassingly hid her contraband in her pocket and eyed her sister's behavior while turning her back to her mother.

I finally got to the counter and cautiously asked Louis my cashier if he had seen. "Yea," he said. "But they're outside so there's nothing I can do."