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