Free The Mall by Bryant Delafosse Page B

She moved dutifully out of the way and noticed Lara and the kids for the first time.   “Why, look here, George,” the woman exclaimed.   “A smart young lady and gentleman.   Maybe one of them might see fit to help us with this infernal machine.”
    Owen stepped forward tentatively and said in a shy voice: “I can show you.   It’s easy.”
    The couple glanced at each other with identical expressions of amusement.   “That’s what our grandchildren are always saying.   ‘It’s easy.   It’s easy,’ the older gent said in a gently mocking tone, stepping back and glancing at Lara.
    “Sure, why not,” Lara stated.   “He’s been waiting for the opportunity to flex his grey muscle all evening.”
    “We’ll take one large bucket of popcorn, my good man.”   The gentleman held his debit card out to Owen and smiled over at Lara.   “I’m George and this is my wife Tess.”
    “Your techno-savior here is Owen and this is Coraline.”
    “Nice to meet you,” Cora said brightly.   “We’re going to see the Goonies .”
    “ Back to the Future ,” Owen growled under his breath.
    “We figured on seeing this western Silverado ,” George responded, quietly admiring the confidence with which Owen punched through the button sequence.   “Pretty fancy shooting there, kiddo.”
    “Butter?” Owen asked.
    “Well, of course,” George quipped.   “What’s movie popcorn without butter. ”
    Tess and George watched as a large empty tub dropped down into position.   A thin spray of butter coated the popcorn as it tumbled from a separate tube down into the tub.   When it stopped, Tess lifted the tub and offered it up to George.   He took a handful and sampled it.   “So, it’s not cold and stale?   How do you suppose they know to pop it fresh like that?”
    Lara shrugged.   “Maybe it has something to do with purchasing history on your credit card, y’know, that you usually get a large bucket of popcorn when you see a movie or…”   She glanced over her shoulder melodramatically.   “Either that or we might have a Big Brother situation here.”
    “You really think so?”   Tess looked up as well and gave an involuntary shudder.   “There certainly are enough cameras now that you mention it.”
    “Hold this for me please.”   George held the tub out to Owen, took the card back from him and swiped it through the reader again.   “Now let’s see if I learned anything from you and get us some drinks.”   He pushed a series of buttons and a large tub of popcorn dropped into position. “Whoops!”
    “You should have hit the drink button,” Owen commented.
    “Ah, well, what shall I ever do with a spare bucket of popcorn?” George said with a smirk, tipping his wife a wink, and patting Owen on the head.   “You don’t suppose you two could do me a favor and eat this tub of popcorn for me, could you?”
    “I will, I will,” Cora yelled, hopping up and down on her tippy toes.
    Lara shook her head at the elderly couple as she handed the first tub of popcorn back to them.   “What do we say, folks?”
    “Thank you,” Owen and Cora said in unison as they hovered over the slowly filling tub.
    George slid his card into a separate vending machine adjacent to the first.
    “Would you consider letting me pay for that?” Lara offered, praying that they were the kind of couple she was hoping they were.
    George smirked at Lara as he retrieved a plastic bottle of water from the chute with a grunt of effort.   “It was a small price to pay for a couple of genuine kid-smiles.    We’re pretty selfish that way.”
    As George led Tess away from the concession stand with a final wave, he grumbled, “Now, how the hell do we find the right theater in this place?”   One of the yellow service Bots scurried anxiously along behind them as they wandered across the lobby, reading signs like a couple of travelers to a far away exotic land.
    Cora stared after the couple with a smile that took