I finished filling the large pasta pot with water,
added a little salt and placed it on the stove.
I turned the burner to high and went back to the pile of mail on the
table. I leafed through each item again,
more carefully, looking for a flash of lavender. It’s
not here. Damn! I flipped through the paper one more
time. What do they say is a sure sign of insanity? Doing something over and over and expecting a
different result? But I swear I left it
here on the table. Let me think. I made tea and sat down to read it. I had just started reading it when the phone
rang. I got up to answer the phone. Now did I leave the letter on the table or
carry it with me to the phone?
I walked to the phone in the study and looked around
my desk. I picked up the bills I’d been
paying and sifted through them, knowing full well that if it were here, it
would most likely be on top of everything else.
OK,
so Bob told me about his car problem and asked me to rescue him. Maybe I subconsciously stuck it in one of the
desk drawers.
I opened each drawer and riffled through the contents hoping I had stuck
it in one of them – maybe to keep it away from my teenage daughter’s prying
eyes. No, I didn’t see it in any of
them. I looked around the floor under
the desk. Nothing.
What
did I do next? I went to the closet to
get my coat and hat. Then I picked up my
keys from the table by the front door.
No, they weren’t there, and I spent some time walking through the house
looking for them. God, I was all over
the place! And then I found them on the
floor under the table and left. No,
that’s not right. I decided to take my
book to read in case we had a long wait and ran out of things to talk about. I walked to the living room and started to
look around the coffee table where my book had been. Not there either. I went back to the closet and checked the
pockets of my coat. Just my gloves. I
picked up the book and fanned the pages.
Not there. Could I have taken it to the car?
I picked up my keys and walked outside to check. As I was rooting around the front seat, I
heard Jennifer’s voice from the front door
.
“Dad, is everything OK? The water’s boiling like crazy.”
“Oh, sorry Jen.
I thought I’d forgotten something in the car.”
“Come in. You
don’t even have your coat on and it’s freezing out there. Did you find it?”
“No, but don’t worry. It’s no big deal.”
I locked the car and went back into the house. Jennifer looked hungry.
“Sorry for the delay. You know the saying, ‘A watched pot never
boils.’ So I figured it would boil
faster if I ignored it. Ha Ha. Anyway, I’ll get the pasta right in. Is linguini OK?” I asked.
“Sure, Dad.
Can I get the salad going? My
homework is practically done, and I really am hungry.”
“OK, honey.
Go ahead.”
Jennifer pulled the lettuce out of the refrigerator
and start tearing leaves into a salad bowl.
“So I heard you walking around down here,” she said. “Were you looking for something?”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s a letter I got today. I started reading it, but then Uncle Bob
called, and I don’t remember where I put it when I left to meet him. I’m sure it will turn up.”
“Yeah, sure, Dad.
It’s got to be somewhere.”
“Well, dinner’s ready," I said. "Let’s eat.”
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