“Where did you get the money, Rick?” I asked.
I already knew.
“I got a cashier’s check yesterday,” he said. “At the branch over in Nevada.”
He finally looked at me.
“I knew better than to do it at your window.”
At least he was honest about that part.
It was a joint account. He had every right in the world to take that money out. And the girl at the Nevada branch had every reason to hand it to him.
“Who sold it to you?”
“Fella from Story City. He’s moving down by his daughter in Missouri. He had the papers all ready.”
Rick rubbed the back of his neck.
“He’s gone already, Karen. He left this morning.”
So that was that.
There was no taking it back. No one to call. No store to return it to. The man and my eleven thousand dollars were somewhere on Interstate 35, heading south toward Kansas City.
I set the milk down on the hood of my car.
I set the potatoes down next to it.
“Well,” I said. “Thank you for telling me.”
He blinked at me like I’d spoken a foreign language.
I think he’d been ready for me to cry. Or to throw something. Or to march into the house and slam the screen door so hard the glass rattled.
I didn’t do any of that.
I picked my groceries back up, went inside, and started supper.
I made pot roast. Because it was Saturday. And that’s what I make on Saturday.
Carrots and potatoes in the roasting pan with it. Onions underneath. Gravy over the one burner that worked on high, standing there stirring.
At ten minutes to six, I went to the hall closet and took out a tablecloth.
Not the everyday one.
The good one. Red and white checks. My mother gave it to me as a wedding present in 1994. I only use it on Thanksgiving and Easter.
Rick was out in the garage, digging through the life jackets he’d bought along with the boat. He didn’t see me carry the first kitchen chair out the front door.
He saw me carry the second one.
“What are you doing?” he said.
“Setting the table,” I said.
Ethan Blake is a skilled Creative Content Specialist with a talent for crafting engaging and thought-provoking narratives. With a strong background in storytelling and digital content creation, Ethan brings a unique perspective to his role at TheArchivists, where he curates and produces captivating content for a global audience.
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