What Luck

Fan spent almost an hour in the second-hand store meticulously going over every intended purchase with a fine-toothed comb. She would get her money's worth, or her mother's daughter was a twice-born fool.

The light blue gloves are thicker than the dark blue ones, but the light blue gloves are stained. Still, they're only seventy-five cents as compared to a dollar and a half. I don't know.

She set both pairs of gloves on the counter top, looking for loose threads, small snags, any imperfections which might sway her one way or the other. She cast her glance back into the wicker basket, looking for one more matched pair; a deal-breaker.

Her tiny hands tumbled through the bulky garden-type gloves, the large men's gloves and the whimsical children's mittens and muffs.

I just need one good pair. Nothing fancy, something warm, not tattered or anything, don't have to look fashionable, just some good, old-fashioned...

Her eyes lit upon first one pale yellow glove made of a soft leathery material and then on it's mate at the very bottom of the basket. Triumphantly she snatched them to her breast with a quick sigh. Her eyes scanned the pair, No stains she thought excitedly. No tears, no loose threads, no worn finger-tips, the bands at the wrists are firm but not too snug. How much?

Fan caught sight of the small sticker tag just inside the soft cuff.

One dollar? Sold!

She tumbled the two blue pairs back into the basket without a second thought then gathered up the black slacks, not too long or narrow, the honey-colored business skirt, not too wide and not too short or sexy, and the pair of white blouses, perfect for work or dinner and basically interchangeable with my entire wardrobe.

She tallied her purchases up while standing in line no less than six times. Two-fifty and three plus three for the shirts, plus one for the gloves is nine-fifty plus tax is ten-twenty-four. Fan watched the older woman behind the register ring up her purchases, double-checking and triple-checking each digit as it popped up on the tape.

"Find everything okay, dearie?"

"Sure." Fan's short-cropped brown hair swung back and forth as she nodded assent.

"Are you a member of our Community? If you are and you have proof of residency, you get ten percent off the total."

Fan quickly recalculated her figures and flashed the woman her license which showed a local address. She covertly tucked her well-worn wallet back into her no-nonsense clutch as she pulled out her change purse, carefully making sure her arm protected the purse's opening..

"Nine dollars and twenty-one cents, dear."

Fan counted out her cash; a five, three ones, four quarters, two dimes and a shiny copper penny. At the last moment, she pulled out a dull penny and dropped the shiny one back into her change purse.

Shiny is more lucky than the older, tarnished one I think.

The clerk folded the items and placed them all in one large bag with the reciept, then smiled farewell as she took the next customer in line.

She arrived at the bus stop just one minute ahead of the Downtown Express, put her exact change in the slots of the machine, then sat half-way back in an empty seat. The other passengers were pretty standard fare for the the Express and Fan let herself relax for just a moment while the bus swayed around the city blocks like a tadpole amongst lilly pad fronds.

This is great luck, normally this bus is standing-room only. Now, things are changing for the better! I knew that shiny penny was lucky!

As she sat and watched the lights of the city roll by, she noticed a penny under the seat in front of her. She snagged it with her shoe then bent to retrieve it. She added it to the change purse, glancing left and right to make sure no one was staring as she snapped it closed.

Fan was the only one to get off at her stop and she held her packages close to her body, just like her narrow black purse, to present a less-than-easy target to any of the less-than-desirables who skulked about in any metropolitan area. She made herself as small a target as possible for thugs and thieves then began the ten minute walk home.

Once on her doorstep, Fan pulled her door key from her hip pocket and as she inserted it into the tumblers a hand was laid on her shoulder.

"Hey, Chuckie, we got us a quiet little mouse!" The vile breath of the intruder made Fan gag, but before she could protest, he swung his fist at her and she knew no more.

"Hey, man! I want a piece of her, don't get her all broken up before we get her inside!"

As she came to, Fan smelled of her own vomit but that didn't stop the two drunken men from abusing her. She had read about men like them breaking into houses and raping women. She couldn't feel her limbs anymore, just a solid mass of pain behind her ears where Chuckie had last kicked her. Then just before her eyes closed permanently, she heard one raucus line...

"Lookie, Chuckie, she's got a purse full of shiny pennies. Man, I told you those were lucky!"



~~ END ~~