Writing in Snow

The Wallet Monster

Word count: 544

“Which one of you thieves rummaged through my purse,” Deedee’s voice echoed from her bedroom.

“None of us,” said Ophelia as she walked into the Deedee’s room. “No one in this house is a thief, Little Sister.”

“Bull shit,” Deedee held up a black leather wallet. “Someone took twenty dollars in ones from my purse. I had sixty dollars in this wallet this morning, now I have only fifty.”

“Please don’t cuss while Frederick’s children are here. I don’t want them going home to their mother with new curse words! That really pisses her off.”

“I don’t care, Ophelia, I want my ten dollars back.” She stomped across the room, stopping directly in front of her twin. “Did one of those little monsters take my money?”

“Freddie and Dory are good children; they don’t enter any bedroom in this house without permission.” Ophelia took a deep breath and lowered her voice two octaves. “Besides, they are much too intelligent to take only twenty dollars in ones. They would take all your money, not just some of it, Deedee.”

“You like those little bastards, don’t you?”

The doorbell ring, “I’ll get it,” shouted Frederick from the living room, “it’s probably Doris. She said she would pick the children up this morning.”

“You didn’t answer my question, Ophy,” Deedee knew her sister hated that nickname. “You like the kids better then me, don’t you?”

“I love Frederick’s children, as if I had given birth to them myself.” Ophelia glared at Deedee, “as I was saying, before you began changing the subject, no one in this house took you money. You spent it and don’t remember where or for what!”

“I have not been out of this house in three days! Where could I have spent it? Someone in this house stole my money.”

“Deedee, you left the house last night at six o’clock PM and you did not get back until one o’clock AM. You probably…”

“Liar!”

“Deedee, everyday since Memorial Day, you have accused someone in this house of stealing money from your wallet. Sometimes it is five-dollar bills and other times ones. I have asked you several times to see a psychologist and you refuse; therefore…”

“I am not crazy!”

“And neither am I, Deedee,” Ophelia could feel the tears pooling in her eyes, “please, pack you bags and leave. I am not going to subject this family to your fits of anger anymore.”

“But… but where will I go? I’ll be homeless!”

“There are dozes of hotels in this town, stay at one of them or you could call Gregory or Lance, I’m sure one of our brothers would be glad to put you up for a while.”

“Ophelia, I am not going anywhere,” Deedee sneered. “You can’t afford the mortgage payments without my help.”

“We will find a way. I am not going to subject this family to your fits of anger for a few hundred dollars; it just isn’t worth the price.”

“What about my twenty dollars?”

Reaching into her apron pocket, Ophelia took out four fives and handed them to her sister. “Take these and get out of my house.”

Deedee wallet growled, as she placed the fives in it and closed the clasp. Two minutes later, the wallet burped.