this.
“What kind of crystal was it? What did it look like?”
Claudia held her thumb and forefinger about two inches apart. “Quartz, about this long, and very thin. I found it on the floor right after you left.”
“Hmm,” she paused, “I don’t think I…No. Wait. I did have a crystal like that once…I thought I’d lost it ages ago.” The woman thought for a long moment. “Maybe it had been in that skirt pocket all along. I hadn’t worn
that
skirt in ages. Ha! Well, either way, I think you should keep it.”
“Really? I can keep it? Oh. Well, thank you.”
The woman put her book into a black leather handbag even larger than the one Claudia carried. She took her coat, a black cape with a velvet collar and velvet trim around the pockets, and swung it around her shoulders. She started buttoning the large round buttons that went down the front.
“I’d better go, too.” Claudia nodded at her parked cart. “Got a cart full of groceries I need to get home.” She laughed. “Just needed a little afternoon pick-me-up.” She held her latte up to eye level and gave a little shrug.
The woman watched Claudia, a good-natured smile in her eyes.
Claudia tried to settle back down into herself. No more acting the goof. “You know,” Claudia took a deep breath, “I was wondering, since you’re an Irving fan and all, I mean this will probably sound strange just having met you, but if you like to read, I’m having a—”
Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” blared loudly from the gaping top of the woman’s handbag. “Excuse me, dear.” She reached into her bag and pulled out her phone. “Hello…Mmm. Hmm.”
Claudia stood for a moment, waiting for the woman to finish her call, but she didn’t want to appear to be eavesdropping so she stepped back a few paces and looked politely away. But that felt totally awkward, so she decided to leave, slowly, so the woman could catch up to her if she wanted to, if it were a short call. Claudia waved a timid good-bye at her and pointed toward the exit. The woman nodded and smiled without pausing her conversation. “No, no—don’t do that,” she said and Claudia stopped her departure, before realizing the woman had been talking into her phone.
Claudia nodded and waved again and watched the woman sit back down into the chair she had just vacated, her gigantic purse now resting on her lap.
Claudia put the grocery bags into the trunk of her car and walked the cart the whole way back to the store, putting her cart back into the queue—pushing it all the way in snug. She gave one last look into the store and then walked back to her car. When it started up, the clock on the dash said 4:30 p.m.
Damn it.
It would really be pushing it to try to get all the way down to Sam’s and back, especially since rush hour had begun. She’d have to pick up the wine at Rick and Dave’s Lakeview Liquors now and hope Dan didn’t have a cow about the price.
Chapter Eight
Claudia
carried a glass of wine and a chair over from her dining room. She clunked the chair down between Gail and Jill, who scooched theirs over to make room. Lindsay followed Claudia into the now overcrowded living room and settled onto the couch next to Mara.
“How’s Tippy doing?” Lindsay took a sip of her wine, eyeing Mara over her glass.
She’s like an attorney, Claudia thought, asking a question she already knows the answer to.
“Just great.” Mara smiled her wide grin. “He’s back to his old self. He’s gained back almost all his weight.”
Lindsay sank more deeply into the couch, a look of satisfaction on her face as she took another sip of her wine. “Does anyone,” Lindsay said, still swallowing, “have any doubts about what we’ve done?”
“It just can’t be this simple,” Gail said, “wishing for something you want, chanting about it, throwing a few herbs into a bucket or lighting a candle and—voilà, magic.”
“Well, it’s not just throwing a few herbs into a bucket.”
“What kind of crystal was it? What did it look like?”
Claudia held her thumb and forefinger about two inches apart. “Quartz, about this long, and very thin. I found it on the floor right after you left.”
“Hmm,” she paused, “I don’t think I…No. Wait. I did have a crystal like that once…I thought I’d lost it ages ago.” The woman thought for a long moment. “Maybe it had been in that skirt pocket all along. I hadn’t worn
that
skirt in ages. Ha! Well, either way, I think you should keep it.”
“Really? I can keep it? Oh. Well, thank you.”
The woman put her book into a black leather handbag even larger than the one Claudia carried. She took her coat, a black cape with a velvet collar and velvet trim around the pockets, and swung it around her shoulders. She started buttoning the large round buttons that went down the front.
“I’d better go, too.” Claudia nodded at her parked cart. “Got a cart full of groceries I need to get home.” She laughed. “Just needed a little afternoon pick-me-up.” She held her latte up to eye level and gave a little shrug.
The woman watched Claudia, a good-natured smile in her eyes.
Claudia tried to settle back down into herself. No more acting the goof. “You know,” Claudia took a deep breath, “I was wondering, since you’re an Irving fan and all, I mean this will probably sound strange just having met you, but if you like to read, I’m having a—”
Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” blared loudly from the gaping top of the woman’s handbag. “Excuse me, dear.” She reached into her bag and pulled out her phone. “Hello…Mmm. Hmm.”
Claudia stood for a moment, waiting for the woman to finish her call, but she didn’t want to appear to be eavesdropping so she stepped back a few paces and looked politely away. But that felt totally awkward, so she decided to leave, slowly, so the woman could catch up to her if she wanted to, if it were a short call. Claudia waved a timid good-bye at her and pointed toward the exit. The woman nodded and smiled without pausing her conversation. “No, no—don’t do that,” she said and Claudia stopped her departure, before realizing the woman had been talking into her phone.
Claudia nodded and waved again and watched the woman sit back down into the chair she had just vacated, her gigantic purse now resting on her lap.
Claudia put the grocery bags into the trunk of her car and walked the cart the whole way back to the store, putting her cart back into the queue—pushing it all the way in snug. She gave one last look into the store and then walked back to her car. When it started up, the clock on the dash said 4:30 p.m.
Damn it.
It would really be pushing it to try to get all the way down to Sam’s and back, especially since rush hour had begun. She’d have to pick up the wine at Rick and Dave’s Lakeview Liquors now and hope Dan didn’t have a cow about the price.
Chapter Eight
Claudia
carried a glass of wine and a chair over from her dining room. She clunked the chair down between Gail and Jill, who scooched theirs over to make room. Lindsay followed Claudia into the now overcrowded living room and settled onto the couch next to Mara.
“How’s Tippy doing?” Lindsay took a sip of her wine, eyeing Mara over her glass.
She’s like an attorney, Claudia thought, asking a question she already knows the answer to.
“Just great.” Mara smiled her wide grin. “He’s back to his old self. He’s gained back almost all his weight.”
Lindsay sank more deeply into the couch, a look of satisfaction on her face as she took another sip of her wine. “Does anyone,” Lindsay said, still swallowing, “have any doubts about what we’ve done?”
“It just can’t be this simple,” Gail said, “wishing for something you want, chanting about it, throwing a few herbs into a bucket or lighting a candle and—voilà, magic.”
“Well, it’s not just throwing a few herbs into a bucket.”
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