Blue bag-part twelve

Buddy was at the barbecue and it was her first chance to move the bag. Mandy was getting tired of having to move this bag around. She went into the bathroom and grabbed her travel makeup bag. She put the blue bag inside of it and put it under the bathroom sink. Time to whip up a salad and get the buns out for the burgers. "Almost ready". Buddy shouted at the back door. He had come in to grab a platter. She was grabbing the mustard when he came to the bar. Her purse was laying on it. "Wow!" Did you rob a bank?" he asked her. "What are you talking about?" she managed to squeak out. "There is a 100 dollar bill laying in your purse." he said looking across the bar at her. Mandy felt her face go red. She did not know what to say. Could she tell him? She looked into his eyes. She could not. "Did your mom give you that?" he asked. Mandy nodded. She couldnt speak."I wish she wouldn't do that." he told her. "I know". she said. She couldnt stand the lying. The hiding. The money hanging over her head. The blue bag was ruining her life.

blue bag- part 11

Shelly's idea of a fun Saturday was to go to a big box hardware store and buy all of the safety locks and handles they would need for the house. "The baby isn't coming for  3 months." Jason reminded her." I dont need you to tell me when the baby is due." Shelly snapped at him. Jason decided to say nothing. He knew how her hormones were going crazy now. His friends had warned him about it and he had been waiting. Here it was. Neither one of them said a word until they got out of the car at the store. She grabbed his hand and he smiled. They proceeded to buy every safety device that the store had. Jason made no comments. He was counting in his head the hours he would be spending installing all of this. Of course the more time he spent installing the less time he had to think of what was going to happen on Monday morning. He had to tell Shelly before then. He couldnt let her be blindsided. He felt like getting into his truck and driving. Just driving away and  leaving it all behind. He thought about Shelly. He thought about the baby. He thought about Mr. Rossi. It was an option. Just go somewhere where no one knew who he was, what he had done.

blue bag-part ten

She could not bring the money out and look at it. She didnt know when Buddy would be home. He had run down to the hardware store. She put a load in the washer and took a package of hamburger out of the freezer. Maybe she could get Buddy to barbecue later. Maybe if she just pretended everything was normal and there wasnt $10,000 of stolen money sitting in their hall closet, everything would be fine. She was staring at the hall closet door. She went and opened the door. She pulled the blue bag out of the suitcase and laid it on her bed again. She counted it again. It was all there minus the $200 that was still in her wallet. She remembered back to two days ago when she thought money was all she needed to solve her problems. It hadnt solved anything. She had a whole new set of problems. Mandy heard the car. She stuffed the bills back in to the blue bag and shoved it under the mattress. Buddy was his usual chipper self. She never could understand how he could wake up in such a good mood. Mandy was not a morning person. I got the part to fix the toilet. I told you I would. He said as he walked past her flashing the part. I remember you told me that you were going to fix it three weeks ago. Mandy told him. Ok. Ok. It is being fixed. You better be nice to me. Us plumbers get a boat load of money for coming out on saturdays. She was so glad she had him. She almost told him about the blue bag. Almost

blue bag part nine

Mandy leaned against the side of her car smoking her second cigarette. She heard her name being called. It was Tina. She was still wearing her work uniform. She had worked with Tina at the truck stop cafe. Hey Girl! i thought you quit. Mandy managed a smile. I did. Guess I started again. How is everything going? Found anything yet? Tina asked her. Mandy had always gotten along well with Tina. She was a hard worker and they always worked well together. Mandy just shook her head. Well you know I think business is starting to pick up again. It sure seems that way to me. They have me running from the time I get there till I clock out. Tina told her. Why dont you come in next week and talk to Roger. You know let him know you are still interested. Just then Mandys phone beeped, letting her know she had a text message. She ignored it. I dont want to be begging for a job. Mandy told her. I didnt say anything about begging. Just let him know you are still interested. I gotta go get something for Staci for her birthday. Keep in touch. Tina said as she walked away. She finished her cigarette and got into the car slowly not really knowing where she was going. She remembered the phone. It was Sherry. At the house. need suitcase. where r u? Mandys heart jumped. Sherry was at her house. She had a key. What if she just went in and grabbed the suitcase? What a mess. Mandy texted quickly. on my way. wait. She drove home as fast as she could. When she got there Sherry was in the house. She was making a pot of coffee. Hey I was going to dig for the suitcase myself but I had no idea where you kept them. she told Mandy. What is the matter with you? You look like you have seen a ghost. Sherry told her. Mandy tried to smile. Nothing. Well I started smoking again and i was trying not to get caught. she told Sherry. I knew you couldnt quit. Sherry said, shaking her head. Does Buddy know? No. I havent said anything. Mandy told her as she fell into a bar chair. This day just kept getting worse. Sherry handed her the mug of coffee. So why do you need a suitcase? she asked her. You remember David, the guy I met at the concert last week? Well he is taking me to Vegas for a few days. He is hot. Sherry informed her. Mandy shook her head. Isnt that kind of soon? You havent known him very long. Ok mother! I will be fine. Sherry told her. Ok. I am just worried. What size suit case? I mean for a few days you will just need a small one right?  Sherry thought about it. No. Medium or Large. I dont know what i want to pack but i want to be prepared for anything. Where are they? she asked Mandy. Mandy walked to hall closet and pulled out the small suitcase. Sherry shook her head. She pulled out the medium and Sherry put her hand on her chin. I dont know. Let me see the large. Mandy pulled the large one out. She thought her heart would beat out of her chest. Sherry pushed the button on the handle for the large case and began pulling it around the living room. No. You're right. I dont feel like dragging this big one around. I will take the medium. Sherry told her. Mandy put the other two back in the closet. She leaned against the door for a minute catching her breath. They sat back down at the bar and Mandy looked at some out of focus shots from Sherrys cell phone of the hot David.

blue bag part eight

Jason jumped into the shower. He tried to think of what he was going to say to Shelly. How was he going to explain this? What about Rossi? Would he believe him? Either way it didnt matter. He had not done what he was supposed to do. Straight to the bank with the deposit. He had said it at least 3 times. No, he had to stop for a beer first to show how responisble he was. When he got out he could smell something cooking. Shelly kissed him. You smell good. She always said the same thing when he got out of the shower. I am just warming up the lasagna. I was too tired to make anything else. Shelly had been working at the elementary school. She was a secretary in the front office. He wished that she didnt have to work while she was pregnant but there was no way. They owed more on their house than it was worth now. They both had to work just to keep afloat. As it was she was only taking six weeks off for the baby and they had already been putting money away just to cover that time. His mom was going to help out with child care until the baby was old enough. Shelly had everything so planned out. Nothing left to chance. She had stocked up on diapers. The nursery already had a crib and chair. Tiny little clothes were folded neatly in a dresser. Yes. Shelly had planned on everything except him being fired. His cell phone rang. It was Rossi. Jason hesitated. Finally he pushed the button. Hey Mr. Rossi, how's the campground? he heard himself asking. Everything is fine here. Could be warmer. How is everything at the shop? Did you get it closed up for the weekend? Yes sir. All doors locked and the alarm on. Please dont ask about the deposit, Jason thought to himself. He didnt. He and Shelly finished off the leftover lasagna and he did the dishes. It was late and Shelly went to bed. He sat in the kitchen wishing he had a beer. No not a beer. Some whiskey. Wait a minute. Rossi had insurance. Surely the business would be covered for this. How though? He could say he was held up. Mugged. Hit in the head. No he had already talked to Rossi that was not going to work. He had no paperwork on the money he had. How could he prove how much was in the bag? He was going to be questioned by the police. Everyone was going to know that he had set the bag down to get a beer. His life was over

blue bag-part seven

Jason waited for the garage door opener to finish raising so he could make his way into the garage. He was in no hurry tonight. He did not want to face Shelly. She was 6 months pregnant and she could smell beer on his breath better than a cop. How could he tell her what had happened? The trouble they were in. She would smell his breath and never believe that he had only had two beers. That was going to be the least of his problems tonight. First he had to tell his pregnant wife that was counting on him that he had lost $10,000 of his boss's money. It was friday evening and his boss would be back on monday morning and his job would be gone. He would be lucky if Rossi didnt press charges against him. He had worked there for 3 years. It was the first time that he had been given the responsibility of running the shop. All he had to do was keep it together for thursday and friday. They were closed on the weekend. Why had he taken that deposit to the store? He knew that he was supposed to take the blue bag right to the bank. No stops. He thought Mr. Rossi was being too anal. Jason had pulled into the grocery store and at first put the blue bag under the seat. He thought better of it and put it in the trunk of his car. He looked around the lot. What if someone had seen him? They could just pop the trunk and be gone. He carried the bag into the store. He knew that. He had told Buddy that he wasnt sure if he had lost it here or the video store but he know exactly what happened. He had reached into the beer cooler for a twelve pack of bud. The cardboard had been open at the end and one of the bottles had fallen out. He set the bag down and reached back into the refrigerator to get the bottle. He had lost the money fumbling for a beer. Before that night he hadnt had a beer in over a month. Jason was celebrating his new found responsiblilty at work. He had been in charge. Old man Rossi had given him the keys. The alarm code. He laughed out loud. What a mistake that had been. He fumbled through the glove compartment looking for a tic-tac or a piece of gum. Anything that would cover the beer smell. Jason finally took a deep breath and walked into the house. He had lucked out. Shelly was laying down on the couch. She had fallen asleep. He covered her with the afghan that was on the back of the couch and went in to the bathroom to brush his teeth. He looked at himself in the mirror. He had two days. He would wait till sunday. Why ruin the whole weekend?

blue bag-part six

She drove to the closest convenience store. She looked at herself on the surveillance camera. She smiled. She hadnt done anything wrong. Not officially. Not yet. She could say she found the bag and there were no checks in it. She could give the cash back right now and still get a reward. She walked to the counter. Two packs of Marlboro. She told the clerk. She reached over and grabbed a bic lighter. One with designs on it. She had gotten rid of everything six months ago. She didnt even have an ashtray. They had the store brand lighters next to the bics. She would get the more expensive one. She laid one of the $100's on the counter. The clerk frowned. I dont  even think I have change for that this early. She told Mandy. She yelled back to an open door at the end of the counter. Hank do we have change for a hundred? Mandy fumbled for her wallet. Never mind I will use my debit card. She told the clerk. Her hands were shaking. She put the bill back into her wallet. She walked outside and stood at the side of the building away from the street. She opened the pack and smelled the tobacco. She lit the cigarette. Her head was spinning. It tasted wonderful. It tasted horrible. She felt guilty. She wasnt doing anything illegal. Just smoking a cigarette. She didnt want to smoke it in the car. She couldnt let Buddy know. She put it out in the ashtray. She still felt dizzy as she started the engine. She had no idea where she was going. She had all the money to do whatever she wanted and she didnt know what to do. Mandy drove to the mall. She roamed through the stores not really looking at anything. Suddenly she remembered her interview. She checked her watch. 11:10. Her appt. was at 2. She could go. She looked down and realized she was wearing jeans, a t-shirt and tennis shoes. Of course she had enough money in her wallet to buy and outfit to wear to the interview. She thought about it for less than a minute. She wouldnt go. She hung on to the strap of her purse a little tighter. Mandy wandered into a high end department store that she normally would have avoided. She went straight to the mens department. She found a nice shirt for Buddy. He would love it. She bought two. One in light blue and one in dark. She paid for her shirts. She put the change in her wallet and walked away with her bag. She waited for a bell to go off. For police to surround her guns drawn. Nothing happened. She walked out of the store.  Mandy set down at a bench in the middle of the mall. She looked down at the bag and realized what she had done. She had bought something for Buddy. She couldnt spend the money on herself. She watched the people walk by and wondered why they were here. Didnt they have jobs to go to on Friday? Were they out of work like her? How could they afford to be here? Everyone looked so happy. She was not. Mandy walked back to the department store and returned the shirts.

blue bag part five

She looked at the clock through blurry eyes. 8:30. How had she slept so late?  It was the stress. She made sure that Buddy was gone. She hadnt even heard him leave. She went straight for the suitcase. It was still there. She put it on the bar while she made the coffee. She stared at the bag. She hated it. She loved it. She pulled the contents out again and laid it on the bar. She got her first cup of coffee and wished for a cigarette again. She had quit because they couldnt afford it. She had felt guilty buying the cigarettes when she wasnt working. She hated it. It was the hardest thing she had ever done. She could afford all the cigarettes she wanted now. As it stood she really hadnt done anything wrong. She had merely picked the bag up from the beer cooler and brought it home. She could take the bag to the lube shop. She could hand it to Jason and he would grab it with his hands that were always greasy and Mr. Rossi might even give her a reward. She could be a hero. She walked over to the desk. When the first check went into the shredder Mandy knew she had crossed a line. She couldnt go back. She could no longer make it right. Her head was pounding as she continued to shred. The deposit slip was the last to go. Now the blue bag. What would she do with that damn blue bag? She decided to keep it for now. She put the money back into it. She took out $100. She put it back. It was ridiculous. She had all this money and she was afraid to have it. She took out $200. Today was her day. She was going to splurge on herself for a change. She wasnt going to buy the generic brand. She was going to buy what she wanted. The very first thing she would buy would be a pack of  smokes. Mandy smiled and got dressed.

Blue Bag- part four

Mandy waited until Buddy was in the shower and quickly went to the closet. She tore the bag from the large suit case and opened it. She looked at the deposit slip. Rossi's Car Care. Her heart dropped. It was someone she knew. She should give it back. The right thing to do would be to give it back. She had always done the right thing. It hadnt done much for her. She put it back in the closet and shut the door. She would sleep on it. Yes. Her mom had always told her to sleep on things. Dont be so impulsive. Think before you act. Her mom would know what to do but she could not tell her mom what she had done. She sat down in front of the t.v. Buddy flopped down next to her on the couch. He put his wet head on her lap. She smiled down at him and ran her fingers through his wet hair. What are your plans for tomorrow? he asked her as he eyed the t.v.. I do have an interview at 2. Coffee shop at the mall. Mandy told him without any enthusiasm. He looked up at her. Honey, if you dont want to work there, then dont. We are making it. Its tight but we can get through this. Buddy told her. We will see. She answered. She knew then that she would not give the money back. She had found it. Finders keepers, losers weepers. She laughed out loud when she thought of this saying that they used to say when they were kids. Her brother would tell her that whenever she left anything of value within his sight. Whats so funny? Buddy asked her. Nothing. Just thinking. She turned her mind off and watched t.v until she could no longer keep her eyes open and they went to bed. She would sleep on it

Blue Bag part one

the blue bag
she could feel beads of sweat on her forehead. she looked at her hands on the steering wheel. they were white. she smiled and loosened them. why had she quit smoking 6 months ago? she needed a cigarette now. if she had a cigarette she would be able to think. mandy almost convinced herself to go to the store and buy a pack. she talked herself out of it quickly though. she could not go any where but home. straight home and keep it under the speed limit. she checked the rear view mirror. no cops in sight. she smiled again. she had never had a speeding ticket. now she was looking over her shoulder. she looked at the seat beside her. it was still there underneath her purse. she could see the corner sticking out and she moved her bag to completely cover it. she had to keep her eyes on the road. she could not have an accident now. she was so excited, so nervous. her heart was beating quickly. she had never felt so happy and so scared at the same time.
she put it in her purse. she fumbled with the door lock and finally was safely inside. mandy didnt stop in the living room. she went straight to her bedroom. she locked the door and sat on her bed. she looked at the bag. now that she had it, she was afraid to open it. what had she done? it wasnt hers. what if someone had seen her? all of the stores had video tape now. what if she was on video? she was a criminal. damn, why hadnt she stopped for cigarettes? she checked her phone. she had two hours until buddy was home from work. time to get busy.
it was almost like Christmas. What would she find in there? She could be rich or it could be nothing but papers. What if it was just checks? Or receipts? Finally she laid the blue bag in front of her and opened the zipper. There were checks. They were in a stack with a large paper clip around them. There was a list.  According to the list, there was  $426.87 worth of checks. Mandy tried to remember the last time she had written a check. She used her debit card or paid online. Who uses checks anymore?  She set them to the side and reached into the bag again. It was a large stack and it was all cash. Her heart leaped. She had no idea how much she had. Her hands were shaking. She sat it on the bed. She didnt think she would be able to count it. She did.
$9,808. nine thousand dollars. almost ten thousand. she had never seen so much money at one time. never. the things she could do with this. a car. a new car. a vacation. maybe a cruise. shopping. she would go shopping. not at the discount stores either. she would go the mall and buy whatever she wanted without looking at the price tag. mandy had not been to the mall since she had lost her job. six months.she started to feel depressed again thinking about being laid off but when she looked at the money she felt better. she thought about Buddy.
Suddenly she realized she could not tell Buddy. She could not tell anyone. She thought about Sherry. Her best friend. since highschool. No. she could not drag Sherry into this either. She was alone. Alone with $10,000 that she couldnt spend. She had no way to explain it. No inheritance. She couldnt say she found it. A lottery? Maybe she could say she won the lottery. No, they would be able to check that.

blue bag part three

Mandy heard Buddy's car at 8:00. She popped the casserole into the microwave and put the salad on the bar. She was so glad they had a bar to eat at. Just the two of them sitting at the dining room table seemed ridiculous. They hadnt wanted children at first. Buddy had wanted to get his career going. The economy hadnt helped the insurance business any and he was working longer hours just to make what they needed to survive. She had been laid off from the restaurant and really had no prospects in sight. Buddy's real name was Brian but she could honestly not think of one person that called him by his real name. He was Buddy to everyone including his parents. He came through the back door with that half smile which she had fallen in love with and she went to hug him. What a day! he told her. Let me get the food on and you can tell me all about it. Mandy told him. She wanted to talk about anything. Anything to keep her mind off of the bag. At this point she would have gladly talked about football just to keep a conversation going. Who did you go to the bar with? she asked casually. Oh you know him, Jason, the guy who runs the lube shop. We get the oil changed there. Mandy vaguely remembered a brown haired guy covered with grease that she had looked at but never seen. Yea, what about him? Well his boss, Mr. Rossi put him in charge for a couple of days while he went camping and Jason lost some of the businesses money. What do you mean lost it? Like gambling or something? Mandy asked. No. Like He put it in the deposit bag and lost the bag. Mandy had to hang onto the refrigerator to keep from falling over. She kept her head in there so you wouldnt have to look at him. Finally Buddy said, What are you looking for? The ranch dressing. Here it is. she said her voice shaking. Are you o.k? he asked her. Just a chill. Probably had my head in the frig too long. Mandy told him. She sat down next to him at the bar. Does Jason know where he lost the bag? She asked him. Buddy had a mouthful of salad and just shook his head. Finally he swallowed, took a drink of his soda and answered. The problem is, he was supposed to go straight to the bank and no where else but no he decides to go to the grocery store for some beer and to rent a movie first. somewhere in between he lost the bag. What is he going to do? Mandy asked. She still couldnt look at him. No idea. We went through the store and the video hut. We searched everywhere. No luck. Someone must have picked it up. She put her food in her mouth but she couldnt swallow. It was stuck in her throat. How much did he lose? she finally managed. I think it was like $10,000. Big chunk of money and i would not want to be in his shoes when Rossi gets back. Mandy thought her heart would pound out of her chest. She had never even looked at the checks. She had no idea what business they were from. She had looked at the name on the bank bag but it was faded. Gold lettering that she couldnt make out. What was she going to do now

blue bag part two

Buddy. Buddy would be home in half an hour and she had not gotten his beer at the store. It was his one treat. A beer with dinner. The six pack lasted him a week and he never complained. She was just about to run out the door to grab him some beer when her cell phone rang. Buddy would be late. One of his friends needed to talk and was taking him out for a beer after work. Usually this would not have made Mandy very happy because she knew that two men sitting at a bar could not stop with one beer but tonight it gave her some time to think. She was surprised that she could sound normal on the phone. She went back to the bag. She counted it again. Her hands still shook. Where would she put this? How could she hide this from her husband? Her family? Her friends? She had no idea. She looked around her room for a place to hide the bag. She put it under the mattress and pulled it back out again. She looked in the closet and shook her head. The bathroom was too small. Why was she in this position? Why had she picked up the bag? She thought about driving straight back to the grocery store and handing it to the manager. And tell him what? Mandy thought to herself. That you were stealing it and then changed your mind? No. They needed the money. She could not see giving it away. She still half expected a patrol car to pull up in front of her house. Surely someone had seen her. She knew she had to get a hold of herself. She finally went to the hall closet and found their suitcases. Great idea. She knew they would not be going anywhere any time soon. She put the blue bag into the biggest one in the back and went to take a shower. Mandy felt much better. Her hair was wet and she was in her sweats. She managed to whip together some homemade macaroni and cheese and salad. She set them aside because she had no idea when Buddy would find his way home. She turned on the news. She kept expecting to see her face on some grainy surveillance video but there was nothing.