Written by Phil Turner

Richard Kimble jumps off the back of a car haul truck as it stops for a red light. He races over to the sidewalk, and begins walking at a brisk pace.

"Can you tell me what time it is?" he asks a passerby. "Ten after seven," she replies. "Thanks," he says, and continues on his way.

He begins surveying the streetscape of the unknown city, looking for a room. After passing two motels with prominent "No Vacancy" signs, he begins showing signs of frustration. The day has been long, and all that Kimble wants right now is a roof over his head and a bed to lie down in to try and get some sleep.

As he walks, an unknown male comes up behind Kimble and startles him. "Hey, come here," he says firmly.

"Excuse me," Kimble says as he turns around.

"I said come here, I want to talk to you," the man says again in a more angry tone.

Kimble turns back around and begins to walk away. Then, two more men step out of the shadows in front of him.

"Hey! Are you hard of hearing? My friend said he wants to talk to you, right now!" a second man says. "So what’s your problem?"

"There’s no problem," Kimble says cautiously as the two men come closer. "Look I don’t want any trouble."

"Neither do we," the man says as he pulls a revolver from his belt and points it at Kimble. "Let’s go," he motions to Kimble to turn around and begin walking. Kimble enters a darkened ally and walks around to the rear of the buildings, with the three men following close behind.

"Okay…that’s far enough," the apparent ringleader of the trio says holding the gun at Kimble. "Give us your money."

"I don’t have much money," Kimble says.

"Then give us what you got," a second man says loudly. "Whatever you got, we want."

Kimble reaches into his pants pocket and pulls out a small wad of money totaling $73. The ringleader grabs the money as a third man strikes Kimble from behind knocking him, face first, into a building. The three men continue kicking and punching as Kimble falls into a puddle on the ground.

"Do it," the ringleader yells to the third man. "Do it now!"

The third man pulls out a gun and nervously points it at Kimble. He hesitates…

"You want to be like us, you gotta do like us," the ringleader declares.

The third man cocks the hammer of the gun back and points it at Kimble. "No mercy," he says as Kimble stares over his shoulder at the gun…

==========

Scene reopens with Kimble lying on the ground, a pistol pointed at him. Then, a door opens and a man walks out.

"…it’s ladies night, and I feel alright, you know its ladies night, or what a night…oh what a night," the man sings along with the music coming from inside the kitchen. He is a black man in his mid-twenties.

"Hold it," the ringleader says, urging quiet so that the three muggers won’t be seen.

"He’s not worth it, let go!" the ringleader says. All three men run away, leaving Kimble lying motionless on the ground.

The singing man takes the trash over to the dumpster, empties it, and begins to reenter the building. As he does he hears Kimble, moaning from the pain inflicted by the muggers.

"Who’s there?" the man asks, peering into the darkness. At first he sees nothing, but as he take a few steps forward he hears a coughing sound. He then sees Kimble lying on the ground.

"Hey…mister," the man says running up to him. "…are you alright?" He sees that Kimble has been badly hurt. "Oh my God!" The man panics briefly, but then regains his composure. Kimble painfully moans some more.

"Hey, mister, I’ll call for help," the man says.

"No...," Kimble whispers. "No ambulance. No police." Kimble tries to stand, but falls from the pain.

"Are you crazy?" the man says Kimble. "You got beat up, man. You could have some broken ribs or something. You need a doctor!"

"No," Kimble insists. "Is there some place where I can lie down. A quiet place?"

The man looks surprised as Kimble’s demand for no help. "Yah, I guess, downstairs," the man says. "Are you sure you don’t want no help?"

"Just help me get inside," Kimble pleads. "I need a place to relax."

"Okay … its your pain," the man says. He helps Kimble stand and guides him on the short walk down one flight of stairs into a basement. The man turns on a small light and Kimble looks around at the makeshift living quarters.

"Welcome home," the man says. "Everybody needs a place to hang his hat, and…well this is mine."

The man helps Kimble sit down slowly on the sofa. As he does it is evident that he is in pain. "You live here?" Kimble asks. "In a basement?"

"I prefer to call it my pad down under," the man says. "I work at the deli right above, so this is convenient. Ethan Barrister at your service."

Kimble gets a pained look on his face as he settles in on the couch.

"Look," Barrister says, "you stay here. Take a load off. I’ve gotta go upstairs and get back to work. Just relax and try to get some sleep. I’ll check back on your later and I’ll bring you a bite to eat." Barrister leaves his "pad" and walks back upstairs. Kimble closes his eyes and lets out a big sigh as he drifts off into sleep.

Barrister walks back into the kitchen, and closes the door behind him.

"Hey Ethan…what took so long? I thought you got lost," his employer Bill Evans says. Evans is the owner of the Greenway Deli, a small family-owned business. Bill started the business back in 1963.

"Someone stopped for directions … so I gave him a hand," Barrister says.

"Okay … well, get back to work," Evans says as he works on a customer’s order. "We’ve got some more supplies that need stocking in the back room."

"Gottcha boss," Barrister says as he walks into the backroom to begin his work.

==========

Kimble walks slowly into the front door of the Greenway Deli. While still sore from the injuries suffered at the hands of thugs three days earlier, he has been antsy about being cooped up downstairs and decided to venture out.

Ethan Barrister sees Kimble come in and walks quickly over to him.

"Can I help you, sir?" Barrister says in a sarcastic tone as he stares at Kimble.

"I’d like some lunch," Kimble replies calmly. "What do you recommend?"

"I recommend that you go back downstairs and relax," Barrister says quietly.

"I’m feeling better, besides I needed to get out," Kimble says as he picks up a menu from the front cash register. "What’s on special today?"

The deli’s owner, Bill Evans, sees Kimble and Barrister talking out front, and walks out to meet the unknown stranger.

"Welcome," Evans says. "Seating for one?"

"Yes…that is, unless Ethan would like to join me for lunch?" Kimble says. "He does get a break, doesn’t he?"

"Well, I guess I could spare him for a while," Evans says. "Are you a friend of his?"

"We’ve known each other for a little while," Kimble says with a glance at Barrister. "My name’s Randy and I new around here. Ever since I’ve arrived here Ethan’s been bragging about how good the food is. So I thought I’d come by and give it a try."

"It’s the best you’ll find, if I say so myself," Evans says proudly. "Go ahead Ethan, take your break and eat lunch with your friend."

Kimble and Barrister walk over and sit down at a table.

"What’ll it be?" Evans asks.

"Give me one of your home specialties," Kimble says. "Whatever you prefer."

Evans smiles at Kimble. "Coming right up." He walks back into the kitchen to begin preparing the meal.

"Sorry to pop in on you like this Ethan, but I have this thing about confined spaces," Kimble says. "Besides, you praised this place so much that curiosity got the better of me."

"Yah, no problem, I know what you mean being cooped up," Barrister says. "One day I hope to make enough money to move from the basement to the penthouse. That’s my dream … but I realize that’s a long way off right now."

As Kimble and Barrister sit at the table, they hear a scream from the back and run to investigate. Arriving in the kitchen, they see that the scream was from Evans. He suffered a deep cut from a large kitchen knife while preparing lunch.

Seeing the blood coming from his hand, Kimble quickly walks over to him. "That’s a bad cut and it’s going to need some stitches," he says while he prepares a dressing for the wound. He wraps the wound in a very professional dressing.

"I can tell you’ve done that before?" Evans says about the dressing.

"Once or twice in my life," Kimble responds. "You better go see a doctor right now and get that treated."

"But who’ll watch the deli?" Evans says. "Its almost time for our lunch crowd."

"I’ll tell you what," Kimble says. "I’m certainly no gourmet … my wife did most of the cooking … but she did teach me a thing or two. So I’ll do what I can to help keep things going until you get back. Deal?"

Evans carefully considers Kimble’s offer.

"Alright, but if you have any problems, anything at all, call me at this number," Evans takes a piece of paper and writes down his phone. "It’s my cell phone. Some of our customers are pretty particular about how they get their food, and if there is one thing don’t like around here it’s change."

"Everything will be fine," Kimble says. "Now go and get that cut looked at."

Evans walks to the front of the store and leaves. "Ethan," he calls out. "Don’t give Randy any problems now." Barrister looks at Evans with a disgusted look.

Kimble then walks back into the kitchen and notices what a disorganized mess everything.

"How can anyone work like this?" he asks himself. First thing’s first. We’ve got to clean this place up. We’ve got to get organized."

As Kimble spends the next half-hour rearranging the kitchen in order to maximize cooking efficiency. Barrister walks in and notices the changes.

"He, remember when Bill said that people don’t like change?" Barrister tells Kimble. "He was also talking about himself. I’m telling you know that he won’t like the way you’ve changed things around in here."

"I haven’t changed it, I’ve enhanced it," Kimble says. "Organization is important. If you spend your time always looking for this pot or pan, or that utensil, it lengthens the time that people have to wait for their food. But, as you’ll notice, I’ve organized all the important cooking materials within easy reach. This way, everything will go more smoothly, the customers will get their food quicker, and everyone will be happy!"

Two customers then enter the front door and sit down. They are men working on a nearby landscaping project. Barrister walks out of the kitchen to greet them.

"How’s it going Ethan?" one of the men calls out. The notice a new face in the kitchen. "Where’s Bill?"

"He had to run out for a while," Kimble says as he also walks out to greet the men. "I’m filling for him temporarily. What can we get you?"

Then men look over the menu. "We’ll take two big ham combos, and coffee - decaf," one of the men says. Kimble smiles, understanding their request for decaffeinated coffee.

"Coming right up," he says and walks back into the kitchen.

Three more women customers enter the deli and take a seat. As the women sit at the table unattended, Kimble sees Ethan doing his janitorial and stocking duties.

"Ethan, come here," Kimble calls out. "Do me a favor. Since I’m new around here let’s form a team. I’ll prepare the food while you the take lunch orders from the customers. This way I can concentrate more on their meals."

"Me…a waiter?" Barrister asks. "But, I only clean up the place. I don’t know what to do. Where would I…"

Kimble interrupts him and hands him a pad. "Take this ordering pad and just ask the people what they want. Write down as much as you need to, and make sure you have it right. Then bring it back to me and I’ll show you what to do."

"Alright," Barrister says apprehensively. He then walks over to the customers. "Welcome to the Greenway Deli ladies, may I take your order."

As Barrister brings the completed orders to the table, customer after customer notices a change in their meal. They see that the portions appear larger and look dramatically different.

"Hey," one of the customers says to Barrister. "We’re getting more food. Does this mean the price goes up?"

"The price goes up?" he says.

"We’re getting more food, so the price is more, right?" the customer says.

"No," Kimble says as he walks out of the kitchen after overhearing the conversation. "The price is the same. We’re just make a few changes to better please the customers."

"I like it," the customer says happily. "I’ll have to spread the word around the office." The customer takes another bite of his sandwich. "You know, Bill did the right thing when he hired you," he says, pointing to Kimble.

Evans walks back into the deli after his trip to the emergency room. He notices several things. The food looks different. The kitchen looks different. His replacement has made changes without his approval.

"What is this?" Evans asks Kimble. "Who said you could do all this?"

"Do what," Kimble asks.

"The food," Evans replies. "You increased the portions? That’s going to kill our costs."

"It is not as it seems," Kimble says. "The portion is the same. All that I’ve done is to improve its presentation on the plate. Use the right seasonings, the right garnishments, and the meal looks better. There is an old saying that my wife used to tell me: If the customer likes what they see then they’ll love what they eat."

Evans listens as Kimble explains his rationale.

"Well, the customers seem to like it, and that’s what counts," Evans says. "I’ll admit that I misjudged you Randy. I’m looking forward to having you around here. I need someone like you to revive this old place. God knows I’m getting too old to keep up."

==========

Over the next two weeks, Bill Evans notices a remarkable transition in his lunch business. Customer count is up dramatically, satisfaction is higher than before, and there is excitement in the air again which, to Evans, brings back memories of the "good old days" when the Greenway Deli was a community focal point.

"Hey Randy," Evans says. "I know you said you were looking only for some temporary work. But I’d like you to ask you to stay on … permanently."

"Bill," Kimble says, "I’m more than happy to help out. But long term employment is not an option right now. It just won’t work."

"I know that you said you were in town only for a few weeks," Evans says. "But is there anything I can do to convince you to stay? You know, before you arrived, I was considering dumping this place and getting out of the business. Bills were piling up and the customers just weren’t coming in. I guess they preferred those trendy new coffeehouses to a old -fashioned family deli. But after seeing your work, you’ve convinced me that with the right management, we can keep this deli going."

"Bill," Kimble says. "I’ve enjoyed working with you. I know that at first my improvements were somewhat distressing. But I always had good intentions for you and for the Greenway Deli. I’d like to stay, but it’s not possible. I going to be leaving at the end of the week."

Evans looks at Kimble and realizes that, unfortunately, he has already made up his mind about leaving. "It figures," he says. "I just can’t keep good workers these days. Okay, but until Friday, I expect nothing but the best!" He shakes Kimble hand.

==========

It’s Friday, and the time has come for Kimble to say goodbye.

"Bill, I have to go," Kimble says.

"I understand, but I hate to see you leave Randy," Evans says. "You’ve really done a lot for this place." He hands Kimble money. "You’ve give this old place new energy and a new legacy."

"I can’t take all this," Kimble says referring to the money.

"For what you’ve done, I only wish that I could give you more," Evans says. "You’ve reopened my heart and my eyes about the potential of this deli. It brings back the days when the Greenway Deli meant something. Given my luck with workers, I only hope I can find someone to take over and keep your momentum going."

"What about Ethan?" Kimble asks.

"Ethan," Evans says surprised. "Hee cleans…he doesn’t cook!"

"You’d be surprised. He’s been a great student," Kimble says. "I’ve tried to teach him everything I know. He’s a quick learner. In fact, for the last week I have had him preparing most of the food. Seems like he has always wanted to do culinary work. I think you’ll be surprised by just how good he really is."

Evans is stunned by the news. "Ethan? If he’s half as good as you are, we’re there may be luck for this old deli after all." Just then, Ethan enters the front door.

"Got the stuff you ordered boss," he tells Evans and walks into the storage room.

Evans looks at Kimble, and then turns toward Barrister.

"Ethan, come here," Evans says. Barrister puts down the supplies and approaches, the look of concern can be seen on his face.

"With Randy leaving, we’re going to need a cook and you’ve come with good references," he says as he looks at Kimble. "I’d like to hire you…that is, if you’re interested?"

"You bet," Barrister says excitedly. "I won’t let you down Mr. Evans, I promise." Barrister walks up and shakes Kimble’s hand. "Thank you."

"Thank YOU," Kimble says shaking Randy’s hand. "For everything. We’re even." Evans watches, but does not understand, this exchange between Kimble and Barrister. "You take care of this place, and remember what I said about presentation."

Kimble wishes both men a final good-bye and then turns and leaves the restaurant. As he does, two customers enter for lunch.

"Hey Ethan, I’ll go take the orders while you prepare the food," Evans says to Barrister. "Okay Mr. Barrister. Let’s go to work and give our customers what they want."

Ethan smilesm walks quickly to the kitchen and puts on the chef’s apron. He looks around and finally appreciates how organized the kitchen is.

Evans picks up an order pad and walks up to the customers.

"Hello," Evans says to the customers, "and welcome to the Greenway Deli…"