The day started out like most... After a long night out with the boys, Numb3rs stepped out into the streets of New York around lunch time. It was time to make some money, and with a cool breeze blowing, he decided to walk. His first stop would be at the local cleaners that he looked after. The owner was a little behind on payments, and Numb3rs had given him a break, but today it was time to catch up. Upon entering the busy shop, the owners' daughter immediately called for her father.

"Papa, you have a visitor."

Georgie, as his friends called him, appeared from the back room with his sleeves rolled up and an oversized apron on. "Mr. Numb3rs, how are you today?" he asked.

"Cut the crap Georgie, there is no need for small talk, you know why I am here."

"Please come to my office sir." Georgie motions for Numb3rs to join him in the back, and Numb3rs moves through the small door, ducking so he did not hit his head.

"Mr. Numb3rs, I know that you look after my shop for me, and I appreciate all that you do, but I can not afford to pay you the fees you continue to ask for."

"Georgie, I would hate to see what would happen to your shop if I was not looking after this place."

George reaches into his desk and pulls out an envelope and slides it to Numb3rs. I open the envelope and start to count the money. The amount is only what I will be expected to send up, meaning I would not have anything for myself. "Well Georgie, if this is all you have then it will do for today. But, I expect the rest by tomorrow. I would hate to see what would happen if I turned my back on you and your shop."

Numb3rs walks away with the envelope, not happy about the exchange, but at least it is something.

The next day Numb3rs returns to the shop, to find Georgie has nothing for him. Numb3rs chooses not to make a scene be he knows that in order to keep face in the streets knows that something has to be done.

That night after all the stores on the same block as Georgie's have closed, Numb3rs breaks into the store and loads up all of the clothes that were to be picked up the next day. The next morning, Numb3rs hears knocking on his door, he looks at the clock and it reads, 4:15am, exactly 15 mins after he knew Georgie arrived at work. Numb3rs takes his gun from the nightstand and answers the door.

"Someone has stolen all of my customer's cloths from my store, you have to help me, please." Georgie cries.

"I told you if you did not pay me that something bad might happen Georgie. If you wanted my help you should have paid my fee." What Georgie did not know was that at 5am Numb3rs had arranged for some of his friends to deliver the customers clothes to their homes.

"Go back to your store Georgie and get to work, if you want my help you will get me the money you own me."

At the end of the day, Numb3rs and his crew had collected several hundred dollars more from the customers than Georgie was expected to pay Numb3rs. After Numb3rs paid his crew for their services, he visited Georgie's shop and explained to him how important his protection was, and that even though Georgie's customers had received their clothes, and he would not be losing his business... his payments were to never be late again, and the price had now gone up 25 percent weekly. "Is it worth losing an entire days profit, over such a small protection fee?" Numb3rs asked. Georgie agreed it was not.

Numb3rs hit the streets glad that is point was proven and that nothing more had to be done. This part of our business can be tricky, but you do what you have to do, and from time to time points have to be proven.

Share your story of how you earned your strips in the streets.