Mr. Ballin

By the time Billy had gotten out of the cooler, the men were long gone, but all he could think was, thank God Debbie was not here.

Debbie could see the look of concern on her husband's face, and she told him not to worry.

Those robbers had not been seen again.

Besides, their daughter Michelle was coming by to keep her company for a while, and then she'd close the store because she had dinner plans.

Billy thought about it for a second and then said she was right.

So he gave Debbie a kiss and said he would see her at home when she was finished with dinner.

Later that afternoon, Debbie's daughter Michelle walked into the store, and the two women immediately started talking like they were best friends.

Debbie had Michelle and her brother Michael with her first husband, but they had treated Billy as their dad since they were young, just like Billy's son, Randy, saw Debbie as his mother.

Still, Debbie shared a bond with Michelle that was special, even among the kids.

They saw or talked to each other every single day.

Time always flew by when it was just the two of them, and today at the store was no different.

They talked about everything that was going on in their lives, and when Michelle finally caught a glimpse of the clock, she said she needed to head out.

But Michelle hesitated, because like Billy, she wanted to make sure her mom would be okay on her own.

Despite Billy and Debbie rarely talking about the robbery, Michelle and her brothers knew all about it, and they worried about their parents constantly.

Debbie said she'd be fine, she could take care of herself, and after all, she'd been closing up the store for two decades.

Michelle knew better than to argue with her mother, so she told her that she loved her, and then she left.

Debbie worked a while longer on her own, then started closing the store.

She emptied the cash register and put all the money into a metal lockbox.

She turned off the lights and walked outside with the box under her arm.

Then she locked the door behind her and climbed into her minivan that was parked out front.