I couldn’t believe the purse was gone. I looked under the table and all around the dining room. Had I forgotten that I put it away some place? A frantic search of my house led me to only one conclusion–my cousins had taken it. But, why?
Goosebumps ran up my arms and my hands felt icy. My mind was going around in circles. Those three people had stolen a purse that their mother meant for me. Their friendliness was just a pretense. Why on earth had they gone to all this subterfuge?
Disbelief was being replaced by indignation. “Can you believe it?” I asked my cat. “They came out in the rain, carrying all those flowers, asking to look at my house, and all they wanted was Aunt Kezzie’s purse. Why didn’t they just ask me for it? They could have said it had some sort of special significance and I would have given it to them. But, they stole it!”. Should I just ask them if they had taken it? Or, should I pretend I hadn’t noticed?
I stamped my foot, startling Miss Kitty. No! I wouldn’t pretend to be oblivious. I’d call one or all of them. Going to the phone book, I searched through–and searched again. None of them was listed. No phones; what was the next step? With a sinking heart, I realized I didn’t even know where they lived. Aunt Kezzie had never told me. So, now what?
Picking up the vase of flowers, I poured the water into the sink and dumped the whole bouquet, flowers and vase, into the trash can. What a shame, to use those lovely blooms for such a despicable purpose but I didn’t want to be reminded of their underhandedness every time I saw it.
A knock on the front door interrupted my pacing the floor. Had they returned? I stormed to the door and yanked it open.
“Are you ready to go?” asked a familiar voice.
“Chris?” I asked, my anger dissolving. “Come in out of the rain. Am I ready to go where?”
My best friend folded her umbrella and stood it on the porch. “Go to brunch, silly,” she said, stepping inside the house. “You forgot, didn’t you?”
I sighed. “You wouldn’t believe what just happened. You must have ESP because I sure need your ideas on this. Forget the brunch. We’ve got to talk.”
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