Protection by Carla Blake

a bum that looked capable of stopping a truck if she shoved it into its grill.
    Sighing, Carrie wandered out into the hallway and into Andrea’s bedroom, where Andrea was busy sorting out her laundry.
    She pulled a face as Carrie entered. “Please don’t tell Amanda you saw me doing this.”She pleaded. “She’ll have a fit!”
    â€œDon’t worry.”Carrie assured her. “You’re secret’s safe with me. If sorting laundry is your thing girl, you go for it! I was wondering though, if you could help me out with a little problem?”
    Five minutes later, Andrea still couldn’t find anything wrong and after watching Carrie turn a full circle with her arms outstretched, she was forced to admit defeat.
    â€œI’m sorry but I can’t see what you’re on about. Seriously. You look fine! I can’t see anything wrong with your bum and at least you have one, I just have a place where my legs end and my back starts.”
    â€œI’ve obviously got your share then.”Carrie said desolately. “But is there anything you can suggest I do? I really have to get rid of this horrible wobble.”
    â€œIn that case.”Andrea sighed. “You’d better lie on the floor.”
    Downstairs and putting the finishing touches to a casserole that would simmer all day in a slow cooker, Amanda happily eyed the tiny pile of post. This was more like it. A tiny, little pile she could quickly whip through before settling down to the luxury of being able to drink a whole cup of coffee without it going cold. And the time she saved! It made her shudder to think how much she’d wasted before.
    Now, what did they have? An advert for the local pizza place. A circular for a new kind of credit card. Ahh, a letter for Andrea from her mum, and this, a vivid, yellow envelope with a printed address.
    Suspicious, Amanda turned it over in her hands. There was no distinguishing logo or return address and no stamp, yet oddly, it seemed familiar and tearing open the envelope, she quickly read the contents before abandoning the kitchen and hurrying up the stairs.
    â€œAnd this is going to work, is it?”Carrie asked, puffing hard as she followed Andrea’s instructions to use her backside as a way of propeling herself across the carpet.
    â€œTrust me.”Andrea said, biting back a smile. “It’ll work. I went to keep fit classes for years and the instructor always swore by this one.”
    â€œWhereas I will simply swear if it doesn’t work.”
    The arrival of Amanda, clutching her chest and waving a yellow sheet of paper in front of her, brought everything to a halt and blushing at having been caught doing something so weird, Carrie scrambled to her feet. But the housekeeper, well used to such strange goings on, barely raised an eyebrow and crossing the room she thrust the letter into Andrea’s hand.
    â€œIt came this morning.”She said. “Hand delivered.”
    Carrie read it over Andrea’s shoulder.
    â€˜ I know you’ve forgotten all about me.’ It began. ‘ But I still think about you and I will never forgive what we did together and one day we will meet again and perhaps then you will remember what you have thrown away.’
    â€œIs that it?”Andrea asked, turning the paper over and finding the other side blank. “Where’s the envelope?”
    Amanda handed it over.
    â€œWeird.”Andrea said, turning to Carrie. “Have you got any idea who this might be from? It does sort of imply you had some sort of relationship with them.”
    Carrie shrugged and looked blank.
    â€œHow about a fan? Have you had any other letters like this? That sound as though they think you might once have been an item?”
    â€œNot that I know of, but you might be asking the wrong person. Amanda, you were opening the mail until recently. Have you seen anything like this before?”
    It came back to her then. The weird