There she goes again

"Oh, come on! Not again!" 23-year-old Alexandra Lex complained into her phone.

"What's wrong? What happened?!" 27-year-old Sarah Lex, Alexandra's sister, questioned.

"Nothing too important. Just another mugging." Alex sighed. "It's like the seventh one this month. I just want to get coffee in peace. Why must people always get mugged across from The Cafe? It's ridiculous!"

Sarah chuckled on the other side of the phone.

"I heard that Sarah."

"You know, most people would just ignore the misfortunes of others instead of beating up random muggers."

"Yeah, well most people don't teach self-defense classes and teach women's boxing. And you know I can't just walk away. What kind of person would that make me if I could do something, but didn't?"

"I wasn't critiquing you, Alex, I was subtlely complimenting you. And don't forget to call the cops before you go in. You know they get miffed at you when you don't."

Alex started crossing the street toward the young woman and masked man wielding a gun in the alleyway across The Cafe. It was close to midnight in New York and on this one lonely little street, there was hardly anyone about.

"I won't. Not since "Officer Longwinded" gave me a lecture longer than Dad's. Thanks, Sar, but I gotta go save people. You know be a good person and stuff."

"Alright, call me when you're done."

"Ok, love you!"

"Love you too!"

Alex hung up and went turned down to the alley where the lady was getting mugged. She heard the woman's panicked voice echoing off the stone walls of the buildings.

"I don't have any more money! Please, just let me go!" pleaded the woman with her mugger.

"Turn around and put your hands upon the wall." The man gruffly ordered as he gestured with a flick of his 9mm. His eyes glinted with a lustful gleam as he eyed the lustrous curves of the woman at his mercy. He was moving toward her, ignoring her cries. His intention of raping her clearly in his demeanor.

"Sir, I think you should put the gun down and leave her alone," Alex called from ten feet away.

" Bug off kid, unless you want to be next."

"Well, how about you deal with me first before you continue with this young woman? That is if you still can." Alex was now four feet in front of him with her hands up at her shoulders in mock surrender. The man turned toward her and pointed his gun two feet away from her. A devilish grin smirked under his ski mask.

"You just don't know when to drop it. What, you think you're some hero or something?"

"No, just a concerned citizen. Now, I gave you a chance to walk away, but obviously, you're not going to take me up on that so either you shoot me or-"

Before she finished talking she lunged forward, grabbing the barrel of the gun with her right hand as she spun into him ripping the gun from his hand and simultaneously throwing her head back and breaking his nose. She heard a satisfying thwack as her head connected with his and he fell backward to the ground. Blood streaming down his nostrils. Alex turned around, pointing the gun at the fallen mugger, and looked to see how the woman was.

"Are you ok?"

The lady was gasping and looked terrified, but she nodded nonetheless.

"Ok, well, grab your bag and come over near me. I already called the cops so they should be here soon." As if on cue the sirens started blaring as two cop cars and an ambulance turned down the street. Alex backed away from the unconscious would-be mugger and led the woman toward the authorities. She slipped the lady her card as she gave her and the gun over to "Officer Longwinded and the EMTs.

"If you don't mind Sir, I would like to get my midnight coffee, so I'll stop by the station tomorrow and give my statement then. Although you could just copy and paste one of my other ones. It was remarkably similar."

"All right, but make sure to be there tomorrow and not threes days later like last time."

"Yes, Sir." She ambled off across the street to The Cafe, as she pulled her phone out and called her sister.

"Hey, Sarah. So I just caught my seventh mugger. Maybe I should get a belt and put notches in it for every mugger I catch."

"Well, that would be interesting, however impractical."

"Aww, you're no fun. Anyway, how's Jerry?" The bell above the door dinged as Ales walked into The Cafe. "Didn't he get a promotion or something?"

"Yes, he is now Ceo of L-corp, and might I add he looks even more dashing." Alex chuckled. "Oh, what are you getting at The Cafe tonight? Are you finally going to try something new or stick with the same old same old?"

"Nope, It's black coffee through and through baby. You know I don't like that flavored junk." Alex was waiting for her name to be called as the barista got her coffee ready.

"Well, you can't blame me for wanting to expand your taste buds."

"Well, technically I can, but I won't cause I love you too much."

"Oh, well, thanks." Sarah said. Her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Oh, come on. Not again." Alex looked out the front window of The Cafe, coffee in hand, to see a little striped kitten stuck in a tree.

"Let me guess, old lady, crossing the street?"

"No, kitten stuck in a tree." Sarah was full out laughing now.

"Of course. You know I think you might have some kind of compulsion that makes you help everyone and everything that is in need and now trouble just follows you."

"Thanks for the encouragement sis." was Alexandra's sarcastic reply.

"I think I'll just call you tomorrow and we can gossip about your boyfriend then. I think tonight is a little to busy."

"Like that's different from any other night. Ok. Goodnight. Love you, Alex!"

"Love you too Sar!" Alex hung and then made her way to the tree by The Cafe and climbed up to rescue the kitten.

Maybe Sarah was right. She pondered as she climbed the tree. Maybe I do have some kind of weird compulsion for helping people. She gently pulled the kitten of the branch and into herself as she shimmied down. Or maybe not.

The End