Suddenly, Liana heard a yell of pain, and she immediately stopped what she was doing. She looked over the counter and saw that Mr. Peabody was on the floor, holding his side in pain. She instantly looked at the man who had been standing behind him. He was dressed in a plaid shirt and blue jeans and boots. It wasn't hard to put two and two together.
Liana instantly saw red. In a rage, she grabbed a hot cup of coffee, went around the counter, and threw the steaming liquid in the man's face. The man screamed, and Liana grabbed him and practically threw him out the door onto the street. "Your kind isn't welcome here!" she screamed.
When she got back inside, the young woman went to Mr. Peabody, who ,by now, was standing. She asked, "Are you alright?"
"Yes, I'm quite alright," he replied, a little shakily.
"Are you hurt?"
"Not really. I'm fine. Thank you."
"I'm so sorry. Is there anything I can do?"
"What's going on here?"
The manager on duty came out, directing his question at Liana. Before she could say anything, Mr. Peabody answered for her. "A man behind me kicked me. Liana was checking to see if I was alright."
The manager apologized and offered to give his drink to him for free. Mr. Peabody thanked him and sat at a table. Liana brought his drink to him when it was ready.
"You didn't have to do that," he said to Liana before she left to go back to the cash register.
"What?"
"That was quite an extreme reaction."
"Well, he shouldn't have done that." she stated.
"No, but...Why did you do that?"
Liana looked away. "I...He needed to be punished. I couldn't let him get away with that. Besides, I know that kind. Racist, selfish pricks." She shook her head. "Umm...Could you..."
"Could I what?"
Liana drew a breath. "Could you go to the doctor, just to make sure he didn't do any serious damage?"
Mr. Peabody looked at her, quizzically. "I'm fine. Thank you for your concern, though."
"Please?"
Liana stopped and realized that she was pleading with him. Embarrassed, she said, "Enjoy your drink, and have a nice day, sir."
She walked back to the register, and Mr. Peabody looked at her with a puzzled look on his face.