Not that it bothered him much. He’d always been something of a night owl so staying up from dusk to dawn was not difficult. And he did like the idea of being immortal…provided no one stuck a stake in his chest.
But there was one big problem. George couldn’t stand the sight of blood.
When other vampires in his pack went hunting for fresh blood, he always wanted to be included. He enjoyed the excitement and companionship of a hunt. But when it got down to the sucking and slurping, he always begged off.
Of course, he still needed a source of nourishment. And he found it on one of his early hunts. The pack had discovered a grocer working late in his store and the blood-letting began. But George ignored the feasting. He couldn’t take his eyes off a tall stack of grapefruit.
They were so round…so yellow…so inviting. He was unable to resist sinking his fangs into one and sucking out all the lovely juice.
When it was his turn to participate in the grocer-feast, George declined. He protested that he wasn’t hungry, which was true. He not only felt full but his entire body was revitalized.
At first the other vampires were delighted that George didn’t ever seem to be hungry. His share was always eagerly consumed.
But then the rumors started. It was whispered about that George hunted on his own for small animals. This was considered the lowest form of vampirism and eventually George was shunned. Fortunately, no one learned the real truth. Otherwise he would probably have been staked to death.
George missed the companionship of the pack. But it did leave him free to wander the night looking for grapefruit. Fortunately, supermarkets stayed open 24 hours a day so grapefruit wasn’t hard to find.
Of course, he had no money. But he devised a ploy that worked well. He would arrive at a store wearing a white smock and carrying a clipboard. He discovered that the smock and clipboard, along with an attitude of authority, gave him entrance to any part of the store. He was never questioned and the night-shift workers universally avoided him.
Sometimes, George would find a case of grapefruit in a rear storage room. While pretending to closely examine them, he would surreptitiously suck them dry. If there were no grapefruit in storage, he’d simply load up a cart and wheel them into the back room for his ‘examination’. It worked beautifully.
But then late one night, as George made his customary ‘person of importance’ entrance into a supermarket, he saw a lone checkout clerk stuffing money into a bag. A large man in a leather coat had a gun trained on her. When the bag was full, the robber grabbed it and ran directly toward the exit where George was standing.
“Out of my way, creep,” the gunman yelled. When George didn’t move, he fired twice at point-blank range. Both bullets passed harmlessly through George’s stomach with nothing more than a tickle.
The robber snarled and was going to shoot again when George grabbed him with his extraordinary vampire strength and spun him around. The man kept struggling until George leaned in close to his face, hissed and displayed his fangs.
When the police arrived, the man was quivering on his knees with obviously wet pants and babbling about being attacked by a vampire. But, of course, no one gave the ridiculous statement the slightest notice.
By this time, the store manager had arrived, apparently called away from a warm bed. His clothes and hair were a tangled mess of haste.
“This is the fourth time this week I’ve been hauled out of bed because some slime ball decides to rob the store,” he shouted to no one in particular.” And if they aren’t emptying the cash register, they’re stripping the shelves bare. But do you think the main office will let me hire nighttime security? No way!”
The thought came to George in an instant. He stripped off his smock and used it to cover the clipboard. No sense in inviting questions.
He approached the manager and said, “Excuse me. Perhaps I can help. I believe I could arrange for nighttime security and it would only cost the store a few grapefruit a night.”
The manager seemed to notice George for the first time. “Oh…yes…you’re the one who stopped the robber, aren’t you?” George nodded. “Well, I appreciate what you did and all that but I’m in no mood for jokes.”
George replied. “I wasn’t joking. I’ll be your nighttime security. I can’t sleep at night so I’d really like to have something to occupy my time. And I have a real passion for grapefruit. You might say they are what I live for. I’ll provide you with dusk to dawn security in return for the fruit.
The manager looked at George for a long moment. Then he said, “That’s the craziest thing I ever heard. Grapefruit! But why not. If you want to work for grapefruit, who am I to turn down that kind of an offer.”
The next night, just after dark, George arrived at the store in his full vampire tux complete with cape. The startled manager looked him over and asked, “What’s with the outfit?”
It’s just a costume I had in the coffi…at the apartment. I thought it might add a bit of fun to the job. I also took the liberty of printing up this sign for the entrance.
George held up a sign that read, ‘These premises patrolled by a friendly vampire for your shopping safety.’
The manager shook his head in disbelief. “And you’re willing to do all this for just a few grapefruit?”
“Well…as I told you last night, I live for grapefruit.”
The manager walked away shaking his head. “Whatever! Have a go at it. I don’t suppose it can do any harm and maybe I’ll get a full night’s sleep.”
From that night on, crime at the store was almost nonexistent. The few shoplifters who tried to make a steal experienced George’s full vampire fury. He went nose to nose with them, hissed, bared his fangs while whispering, “Get out and don’t ever come back or I’ll suck every drop of blood out of your body.” He never saw them twice.
And, there was an unexpected bonus. People started going out of their way to shop at the store with the friendly vampire. Nighttime sales soared.
And that’s how George found his calling. Eventually, the other vampires in his pack heard about what George was doing. When they asked him how he could tolerate being stuck in a supermarket all night, he simply shrugged and said, “It’s a living.”
Success lesson: Don’t be afraid to use your difference to make a difference.
© Doug Grant, 2010
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