He went back to work, completely oblivious to her conniving plan. As he stacked the shelves, she was looking for something in her car.
She had stashed it away quickly the last time she used it, so she couldn’t remember where she put it. She searched frantically as her eyes twinkled at the idea of pulling off this evil scheme.
As a general store owner, Michael Samm meets all sorts of people. His store is out in the middle of nowhere, so people from all walks of life often pass through, and he loves it!
The opportunity to meet interesting people is one of the things he enjoys most about his job. He never knows who’ll walk through his doors, and he certainly had no idea what kind of person would walk through today.
For health and safety reasons, she had to wear a mask. It’s nothing personal, it’s just how it is now. Put on your mask, shop and go. No biggie right? Well, not for her.
It started off like any other day. The store was full of produce and the customers were polite. Everything was running smoothly until she walked in.
The door chime announced her arrival. Michael watched as she looked at the ‘No Mask, No Service’ sign posted on the door and then slowly surveyed the other customers in the store.
She stood still. She was looking for something but Michael didn’t know what. Then his eyes met hers, and alarm bells rang.
She seemed like she was making a point to look at Michael before walking further into the store. With no mask on, she smirked at him before she turned and made her way down the aisle.
Michael came out from behind the counter and walked directly towards her. If she wanted to cause trouble, he was ready.
Cautiously, he politely said, “I’m sorry ma’am, but you’ll have to put a mask on if you want to shop here”. She looked him up and down, and scoffed, “no I don’t”.
“Yes you do, ma’am”, Michael replied. Michael could tell that this wasn’t going to be a pretty conversation. His reply enraged her. He wasn’t ready for what happened next.
Michael leaned back as she began shouting out at him. She accused him of stealing her right to breathe. Micheal knew some people were against wearing a mask but he had never encountered someone like this before.
As she continued to shout, he folded his arms, waiting for her tantrum to finish. When it did, he told her to wear a mask, or leave. It was a sentence he’d soon regret.
His words set her off again. For her, this was personal. It was an affront to her freedom. Michael had no choice but to stand there and listen to her berate him. But his patience was wearing thin.
Michael kicked her out of his store. She laughed as she warned him that this wasn’t over.
Michael sighed, shaking his head as he watched her leave. He was glad to have that finally over with. He just hoped he wouldn’t have another anti-masker like her anytime soon.
Michael went back to work and soon forgot about his horrible encounter. But she wouldn’t forget about him, oh no! She was planning a revenge he’d never see coming.
She waited in her car, watching Michael go about his work. He was completely oblivious to her payback plan. She opened the glove compartments as she looked for it.
She had stashed it away quickly the last time she used it, so she couldn’t remember where she put it. She searched frantically as her eyes darted around the parking lot.
Alas, she finds it and waits. She waits until she sees him roll up in his beat up truck. He pulls up beside her and gets in her car. “Have you got it?”, he asks. “It’s right here”, she says.
She admires his attire as she giggles with delight. Now all that’s left to do is go back into the store and carry out her big revenge plan.
Michael was surprised to see her back so soon. And this time, she had a mask on. But it wasn’t any kind of mask. It was a very, very particular mask.
As Michael looked at her mask, he felt a surge of anger wash over him. He told her to get out immediately. “I have a mask on!”, she yelled. But Michael was adamant. She screamed insults at him before calling for the man hiding outside.
He walked through the door, chest puffed, chin up, he was dressed in an officer’s uniform. He looked around the store and walked straight up to Michael.
Michael stood still as he squared up to him. He looked sternly into Michael’s eyes, his face was red with anger. Confused at his expression, Michael introduced himself to the officer and told him what was happening.
“This lady tells me you’re breaching her right to freedom. If this can’t be resolved, you’re going to have to come with me”, the officer said. “What? No, you don’t understand”, Michael said confused.
Michael scrambled to explain the situation to him but it was no use. The officer wasn’t listening to him. Suddenly, he began to realize the seriousness of the situation.
Michael had no idea what that woman said to the officer but whatever it was, he knew that she must have played the victim.
Suddenly, Michael’s heart began to pound as he realized the seriousness of the situation. Michael shouldn’t have been arrested or charged. But he knew what happened when an officer didn’t like you. Then, he noticed something strange.
When the woman returned, she was wearing a mask an offensive symbol it. That’s what made Michael so angry. But why didn’t the officer comment on it?
Surely, he must know how offensive that symbol is. Yet, he said nothing about it. Michael’s heart sank as he realized what kind of person he was dealing with. He needed to act fast.
Michael’s mind raced as he tried to talk his way around this situation. Then it hit him. If he was going down, he wouldn’t go without a fight.
The cop began to threaten Michael but just before he became physical, Michael noticed he wasn’t wearing a badge. Immediately, Michael asked to see it. Then, it went from bad to worse.
Michael wondered why he’d never seen this “officer” before. And this was a small, remote town, so how was that possible?
Suddenly, he had a feeling something wasn’t right. The “officer” reluctantly yet confidently took out his badge and showed it to him. Michael’s confusion erupted into disbelief and laughter. Who was this guy?
Michael looked at the badge closely. Then he looked at the officer and at the woman who had been watching their encounter with a smile on her face the entire time.
Suddenly, he knew. They were in this together. He tossed the badge back at the “officer” and shook his head in disbelief. “You two know each other?”, he asked.
Michael looked at the badge closely. Then he looked at the officer and at the woman who had been watching their encounter with a smile on her face the entire time.
Suddenly, he knew. They were in this together. He tossed the badge back at the “officer” and shook his head in disbelief. “You two know each other?”, he asked.
Michael’s store is the only one in close proximity to the anti-masker couple’s home. So now, they have to drive an hour to the next town over any time they want basic groceries like milk or bread.
It was a burden they simply couldn’t bear, so they soon came back to Michael’s store. But this time, something changed.
Michael was helping a customer pack her items when he saw them enter his store again. He finished helping the woman, grabbed his phone and marched towards them.
“Didn’t I tell you both to get out of here?”, he stated. She was wearing the offensive mask again. Her husband wasn’t wearing any. Michael sent them out straight away. But now they swore to take personal revenge on Michael.
At first, everything seemed normal. His week continued as usual. But then, he started to think more about the couple that threatened to get revenge. He started to worry, and for good reason.
The store was too small to sneak past Michael and buy groceries, so the desperate couple decided to take matters into their own hands.
First, they needed to know his routine. So they started to appear at the remotely situated store, just out of sight enough so that Michael wouldn’t notice.
He was completely oblivious that he was being watched. They stalked him for days. They knew what car Michael drove, what time he opened up and what time he closed up. What were they up to?
Michael told himself not to worry about the revenge threats. He consoled himself by reasoning that he hadn’t seen them in days so they probably just said that to scare him. The threats were empty, but he was wrong.
It was another beautiful sunny day, the skies were blue and the temperature was just the perfect amount of warm with a cool breeze.
Nothing could put a damper on Michael’s good mood. He drove to his store, singing along to the radio as he drove down the empty road. But he was driving straight towards a sharp pin that would burst the happy bubble he was in instantly.
It wasn’t long before Michael realised there was a truck behind him. In fact, it was a truck he saw a lot of recently.
When he pulled into his store and parked the car, there was a car already waiting there. That never happened this early, so Michael thought it particularly odd. Then the truck that was behind him pulled up. Michael knew something was wrong.
It was the anti-masker couple, they had come in separate cars. They were cornering him. They stalked him to make sure this was a quiet time for Michael. No witnesses.
But what they failed to realize was that Michael was a big guy. He was also trained in mixed martial arts. He knew how to defend himself and he was a hard guy to intimidate.
He quickly dialled 911 and spoke into the phone while he raced to the back of the couples car. Making sure they heard him, he loudly spoke as he reported their car registrations and threatening behavior.
Michael later posted his story to Reddit and got an outpour of support and admiration for how he handled that situation.
Remaining calm and firm in a situation where you are dealing with angry and unstable people is definitely a trait worth celebrating, and people made sure to let him know he was right.
One user wrote, “She…was trying to push every button this shop owner had because people like Karen want to own the libs any way they can. It’s pathetic!”
Now, one would think that stories like this are rare and isolated incidences. However, another indescribable exchange took place with similar tones in another small town – but this one only had a young woman behind the register
It was hard for Lucy Pembrook to work in the small, Sonoma County bakery.
But it wasn’t because of the early shifts and endless multitasking. No, it was trying to resist the endless stream of mouth-watering baked goods that came from the kitchen. It was even harder considering their specialty.
The little shop made custom cakes – you name it, they could craft it. But it wasn’t all bells and whistles. The flavors were also to die for.
Even when the mask mandates came into effect, people would still make a point of driving to the shop to pick out something yummy. However, one customer would have something crazy to say about the new rules.
Lucy flashed a smile and welcomed the woman as she came through the door.
The first thing she noticed was the woman wasn’t wearing a mask. But Lucy understood. People could be forgetful and were usually happy to comply. This woman’s face, however, twisted into a disgusted pucker, as if she was sucking on a lemon.
Even if the shop was filled with sweet things, Lucy wasn’t a stranger to bad customers and the drama that came with them. … But this was just unbelievable…
“So, in Nazi Germany, if people told you to shove people into the ovens, would you do that? I am asking a real question. You have stoves, don’t you?”
Lucy stood there, stunned and speechless. Did this woman just compare government rules on masks the same as killing people in gas chambers and other horrific methods?
She quickly composed herself and asked the woman to leave. But that was the trigger the woman had apparently been waiting for.
The customer yelled at the top of her lungs that her freedoms were being taken away. And that everyone were Nazi sheep.
It was then Lucy did something that would immediately fix the problem. She stood tall, pointed to the door, and said, “If you don’t leave now, I will be forced to make a citizen’s arrest.”
The woman’s face turned as red as a beet. Still, she ended her tirade and stormed out of the shop.
But what would the owner say when he found out what had happened? And what would be the public’s reaction to the very public tantrum?
Gergana Karabelov reviewed the security footage and completely agreed with Lucy’s actions. The owner would also end up receiving some of the residual heat when the irate customer left several angry messages.
Her response was simple. “If you need croissants, I can deliver them to you, but I can’t have you on my property without a mask.” But she really hoped the woman wouldn’t come back in any way shape or form. As for the public?
Everyone shared in the praise towards Lucy. She couldn’t help but blush as they called her an outstanding, professional young lady. It made her fall all the better about her choice.
Some people even called in from other countries to giver her warm fuzzies. Also, the store ended up way busier than normal!
Their baked good flew off the shelves faster than she could ever imagine.
Some even hung around just to chat with Lucy. It was nice to have such great customers, but she also needed to get baking! The list of orders was crazy. It would take some serious self control not to partake!
