I never understood why he wouldn't just close the store when no one was here. Only five more minutes and we can go home. I love this store, I love how it smells like dad, and I love the hard wood floors clicking against my shoes; but right now I'm so bored with nothing to do…WAIT! I sit down on the floor and reach down in to my pocket and pull out two pennies, my dad gave me yesterday. My fingers push one of the pennies in the cracks of the cold wooden floor. Dad only gave me the pennies so I can try a trick he showed me... and I asked.

I remember yesterday, I asked if I could have two pennies. I'm saving to buy a town! I whispered to Derek. I remember my dad pinching a penny with his left hand. Then using his other thumb to make the penny have a slanted position, then suddenly the penny is twirling on the counter.

Now sitting on the floor I try to recall how he did the trick. As I start to try I wonder if my fingers are too small to do the trick. I'm biting my lower lip as I twist the penny. It wobbles from my fingers than unsuccessfully falls to the ground. Derek, who has failed to acknowledge me until now, looks up from his book and watches the penny fall flat on the ground. I like Derek more than my three older sisters, whose dance rehearsals our mom is at right now, but to him I'm just a little sister, at least that's what I think, but of course he would never admit that. Derek folds the book and slowly crawls across the floor and sits next to me.

He grabs the penny I'm not playing with and pinches it between his fingers and pushes it so it spirals on the floor.

"Like that." He says smiling at me as he slides all the way back to where he was.

I pick up my penny and pinch it in my fingers.

"Here comes two lovely gentlemen." Dad announced through from the other room.

Derek and I both look up. I realize Derek can't see from where he is, so he slides half way towards me for a better view.

I look back at my penny and slightly giggle at my dad's comment knowing my lack of patience. Pinching the penny I twist it. I see out of the corner of my eye two men enter and I hear Derek suddenly exhale like all his breath had been stolen from him. He must be laughing at how the guys look, though I don't bother to look. My thumb pushes and the penny and finally it is spinning, faster than Derek's example penny spun.

"Derek, look!" I practically scream with excitement.

Then with the lack of response I look up and see how tense Derek is. He is still crouching low like he is frozen in the middle of crawling. His hands are trying to clutch the floor. I can feel the smile on my face melting away. I follow Derek's gaze, he is watching the two men, who entered the store. Dad is giving them money from the cash register. I've seen dad give people change before, I don't understand the importance this time! I poke Derek, whose immediate response is "Shhhh!"

One of the men are collecting the change and the other is reaching for something. He pulls out a gun and gestures to my dad's watch. I scream a piercing scream. Derek slides as fast as he can to me and covers my mouth. My dad puts his hands up but shakes his head no. Why? Why won't he give up the watch? I know the answer. He loves that watch, mom gave him that watch and he always wears it where ever he goes.

"Please" I try to scream, but I get muffled by Derek's hand. I can feel my eyes starting to flood with tears and warmth. The arguing continues just for a second then one shot booms through the shop. The men leave. Derek is still covering my face with his hand wishing he still had to. I looked away and snuggled into Derek's chest.

All I can see is the blur of my vision and the penny spinning around to a slow stop; the sound of the penny seems to echo through the room. Derek is still and tense.

"Derek" I plead for a response of some sort from him. He slowly crumples around me, his sniffles turn into sobbing. I close my eyes and soon I hear my mom's voice and her crying and her warm hugs around Derek and I. I'm too afraid to hear, to look and I try to get away from everything. Here in my own little shell, refusing to leave Derek's warmth, I am safe and everything is normal.

Finally, I uncurl myself from Derek.

I never understood why he wouldn't just close the store when no one was here. Why couldn't he. We would have been home in five more minutes and we could have gone home. I loved this store, I loved how it smells like dad, and I loved the hard wood floors clicking against my shoes; but right now I'm so scared with nothing to do…WAIT! I look down on the floor and see the two pennies and I pick the two pennies up, my dad gave me them yesterday. My fingers push one of the pennies in the cracks of the cold wooden floor. Dad only gave me the pennies so I can try a trick he showed me. Then I twist the pennies in a spiral and slowly watch it spin as the tears smudge my vision.