“Wes, why aren’t you doing something about college? You know, getting a job, putting money away?”

“I am grandpa. I’m learning to be a ventriloquist. And impersonations.”

The seventeen-year-old edged forward in the bank line, encouraging ninety-year-old grandfather Harrison forward.

“Don’t know why banks don’t do something about these lines. Look over there, that line was eight people deep. We would have been next up. This line was only five deep. What’re they doing, counting pennies?

“You graduated high enough for a scholarship. Why didn’t you get one again? You know we can’t afford to send you. When your folks…”

“I know Grandpa. It’s okay. They felt like a roof over our heads was more important than insurance. Extracurricular. And sports. Scholarships went to the athletes and those with a lot of extracurricular participation activities. And I got that B in science, remember?”

“B. Pshaw. Just because we couldn’t afford to send you to that camp thing.”

“Well, I couldn’t take off work, either, remember?”

“Pshaw, work. Sixty-five cents an hour. Those girls cheated you. They were supposed to share their tips with you.”

“Yeah, I did better when I left there and sacked groceries for S&S Grocery.”

“Hamburger every night. I remember. Look at that. That line had seven people in it. We would be done by now. Where’d our gal go off to anyhow? Let’s change lines.”

“We’re only four away now, Grandpa. Remember the last time we changed?”

“Hah! We closed the store that time. Last one waited on. Right up until closing time. Why don’t they have one line that snakes around, and then whoever is next goes to the next available teller?

“So, what are you going to do about college, Wes? You should have taken up one of those sports.”

Wes didn’t reply that working the hours he had to in order to buy his own clothes and contribute toward his upkeep didn’t leave time to devote to athletics. “I might be able to make something with my ventriloquism and impersonations, Grandpa. I can do almost any animal or bird, a lot of those television actors. And I can project my voice.”

Wes’s grandfather just looked at him, sadness in his eyes.

Suddenly three masked men wielding Tommy guns burst into the bank. “Everybody on the floor! Get down!”

Everyone, including Wes and his grandfather slowly made their way onto their stomachs.

“This is a hold up. Everybody stay put and you won’t get hurt.”

From both sides of the bank lobby, lions roared ferociously, causing employees and customers alike to scream in terror. The bank robbers snapped their guns from side to side searching for targets.

“Hold it right there. We got you covered.” Matt Dillon from the new television show Gunsmoke bellowed from behind the robbers. “I said hold it!” Dillon shouted toward one of the robbers in particular. “Now put your guns on the floor and maybe you won’t get hurt.”

Wes carefully rose to collect the guns.