I was in my early 20s and working as the manager at an independent grocery store. Part of the end-of-day routine was taking the day's receipts to the owner's house a few miles away. I was making the drive when a pickup truck pulled out of a driveway, blocking my way. I was cussing the driver for a blind idiot when a guy wearing a stocking over his face and carrying a 12 gauge shotgun jumped out of the passenger side, stuck the gun in my face and said, "Give me the money!" I did.

Obviously, the guy didn't shoot me or I wouldn't be posting this, but I've often reflected on how easily things could have gone the other way. If the gunman had developed a slippery trigger finger, decided he wanted no witnesses, or simply had less regard for human life, I'd be long dead.