Looking For

Written for https://lifeafter50forwomen.com/2023/11/06/what-do-you-see-111-october-6-2024/

‘This is the sign you have been looking for,’ Sarah said.

It was like the money flashed with neon letters.

‘I know, right,’ Steven said, his eyes firmly planted on the money in her hand.

A wad of fifty-pound notes, wrapped in nothing but an elastic band, the source of their surprise.

Sarah flicked through the crisp pieces of monopoly money. Their smooth surfaces were like a serene sea against her palm.

Steven tugged at Sarah’s coat, gesturing for her to hide the money.

Their sausage dog, Titan, rushed back to them. A ball full of slobber dropped on the golden leaves. Steven picked up the sodden ball, wiping his hands on his tattered trousers.

‘What if it belongs to someone?’ Sarah asked, not able to move her hands.

‘If they’ve lost that amount of money, they can afford to. Our landlord will change the locks if we’re not careful. Please! We’ve eaten nothing but beans on toast for five days this week.’

‘I thought there was a funny smell.’

‘See, it is for the good of our mental health.’

‘What if it were drug money? If we took it, would there be a knock on the door in the middle of the night? They would find our bodies with concrete shoes. We’ll be on the six o’clock news.’ Sarah plunged her hands inside her pockets, hiding the money in the folds of her fingers. She wanted to be honest – take the money to the police. Her heart beat into her empty chest, causing her legs to buckle like a shack in an earthquake.

‘Look, we won’t decide now. Let’s go home and think about it,’ Steven said. ‘If we leave it, someone else will only take it. Besides, what’s the harm? If they arrest us, at least we will get three good meals and a bed for the night’

‘Alright, you put the lead back on Titan, and we’ll take the shortcut home.’

‘Couldn’t just pop into the shops? If we took one fifty and spent it on ourselves, nobody would notice. I doubt anyone is going to count all of it. We could afford to eat for a month on that.’ His elbow connected with her ribs, where she had no skin to pinch.

‘Alright, but we’ll go to the shopping centre. We can get more for our money. The rest we will think about when we get home.’ One note was put in her other pocket; the others deep into her rucksack.