The History of Us

10 - Abigail Finds Out

Past

Abigail Finds Out

"Excuse me Carol," Abby said meekly, walking over to the counter where Aunt Carol was too engrossed in the cashier register, setting up the faulty machine. "Ms. Waterson? Is this a bad time?"

"Oh not at all, I'm sorry! This damn register is just messing with me again. What is it Abby?" She asked.

"I was wondering if you've seen a coin purse lying about? I brought it with me on Saturday but I left in such haste that I think I left it here," She explained. "It's this small thing made of white linen, with blue embroidery and a silver buckle. It can't be bigger than a small wallet, and I think I left it behind the cashier counter but it wasn't there this morning."

"I'm sorry to hear that Ab, but I haven't seen such thing ever since I opened the bakery on Sunday morning. Perhaps you could go ask Elsie, she was the one who closed the shop on Saturday night," Aunt Carol suggested, but before Abby could turn around to find her friend, Elsie presented herself beside her.

"I hear Elsie?" She asked.

"Remember the coin purse I got from my cousin?" Abby begin.

"The white and blue pocket given by Scarlet your cousin who came last year and have been pen-palling both you and I ever since?"

"The one and only,"

"Yes I remember. What about it?"

"I lost the purse. I brought it here with me on Saturday and I think I left it on the counter when I left quickly because I thought I'd miss the train," She frowned, looking concerned which Elsie understood completely. She was really close with Scarlet, who had come all the way from Sweden for summer last year, and she knew how much she adored the little gift from her cousin.

"I don't recall seeing it that night Abs, I'm sorry," Elsie shrugged. "But can you remember if you had placed it anywhere else other than the counter? Maybe the lockers or the kitchen?"

"You could just check through the CCTV, it was only four days ago so I reckon the TV's still got the footage," Aunt Carol suggested, towering over the two girls from behind the counter.

"Can I do that m'am?" She asked, "Am I allowed to?"

"Of course you can! You lost your belonging, why wouldn't you be allowed? The screen's in my office, just hit the rewind button up until Saturday when you saw them last and make sure you don't press anything you don't recognize because I won't be able to fix the damn machine if it does anything funky yeah?" She said.

"You have my word Carol! Thank you so much!" She beamed, not forgetting to give Aunt Carol a quick hug, before running into the kitchen and disappearing behind the wooden door with a round glass window on it.

Elsie went back to cleaning the table that had just been left by its former occupant – a group of middle schoolers who giggled the whole time and talked about their favourite band in a volume that allowed Elsie to hear clearly their stance on each of the members. Though they had ordered generously, they also did leave too many crumpled tissues and cinnamon roll crumbs on the table, which made Elsie's job a bit harder then it should be.

Once all the empty tables were clean and the occupied ones were tended, she retrieved back to the counter and sat on the end of the service aisle, looking out onto the street through the glass window. It was almost sunset, and everything outside was thoroughly washed in gold.

She eventually lost track of how long she had been glancing outside as her mind wandered off indefinitely, but when she turned around, Aunt Carol had been replaced by Abby, who was approaching her with an unreadable look on her face – she was befuddled.