Page 38 of The Man Next Door
It was, she decided. She could possibly make more on the purse, and if she found other things to sell, the small profits would snowball into larger profits.
“Done,” said Louise. “And you will not pay me back. Don’t be ridiculous.”
They found more than a purse that morning. Zona scored a turquoise-and-silver beaded belt that, after a quick bit of research, she realized she could sell for a nice profit.
She also found a Harley-Davidson Barbie doll. Very CoolBarbie. “I might have to keep you for inspiration,” Zona murmured.
In the end, she didn’t. She wound up giving the doll to a little girl who had seen it in Zona’s hand and fallen in love.
“She must want to come live with you,” Zona said, and handed the doll over.
“Thank you,” the mother gushed.
“Your kindness will be rewarded,” Louise predicted.
It was at the next garage sale, where Zona scored yet another purse she suspected would sell for more than what she paid and a pair of reindeer-shaped candleholders that Louise said were Fitz and Floyd, and a vintage Oscar the Grouch Sesame Street cookie jar.
“There’s your reward. Those candleholders will go for a high price if you wait and put them up for sale in November,” she assured Zona. “I think you’ve had a profitable morning.”
The bonus was Martin taking them to lunch after their final stop. But at lunch, Louise was looking exhausted and in need of a pain pill. “I’m ready to flop on the couch,” she announced.
“We shouldn’t have kept you out so long,” Martin said, looking at her in concern.
“Oh, yeah, we twisted her arm,” Zona cracked.
“It was fun,” Louise said. “I’m very happy with my finds.”
“So am I. Thanks for the help, Mom,” Zona said, and smiled at her.
“It’s going to be fun watching what happens when you put those up for sale,” said Louise.
Yes, it was.
Martin dropped them off and as soon as Zona had Louise settled on the couch with her cell phone, the TV remote, and a glass of ice water and the extra-strength Tylenol she had switched to taking, she let Darling out into the backyard for a romp and a potty break. Supervising him to make sure he didn’t dig. A few games of fetch and his tongue was lolling andshe was ready to get inside and start learning the art of selling online.
Selling online, she decided, wasn’t as snap-your-fingers easy as she’d heard. There was work involved. Staging her items and taking pictures, figuring out shipping, double-checking prices, writing descriptions, and posting the items. It took her the whole afternoon.
But so what? What else did she have to do on a Saturday? Nothing. Probably nothing for the rest of her life, except continuing to dig out of the deep money pit she was in.
She reminded herself that even though her money troubles had seemed to come on her overnight, they hadn’t. They’d been stealthily sneaking up on her over time. Getting free from them would take time as well. A lot of it.
“You can do this,” she told herself. “You’re not dead yet.”
Then she thought of the scene in the Monty Python movie with the plague victim who refused to die and she started to laugh. It was more hysterical than happy, but it was the first laughter that had escaped her mouth in over a year. Maybe that was progress.
By the time she was done, her mother had enjoyed streaming half of her favorite true crime show, had a nap, and was in the process of talking on her phone with one of her neighborhood friends. “Come on over, and bring Susan, too,” she said. “We’re not doing anything tonight.”
It was true, but it was depressing to hear. Once upon a time on a Saturday night Zona would have been going out to dinner and a movie with Gary or catching a show at a local comedy club. Now it was home with Mom, doing nothing. But that beat what she’d been doing only a few months earlier—crying, pacing the floor, worrying, mourning the safe, happy life she’d once thought she had.
So, Carol and Susan, Louise’s two besties, came over, insisting on bringing dinner—Carol’s curried coconut shrimppaired with Susan’s Thai beef salad. They also brought lemon bars for dessert and white wine to wash it all down.
The friends were shown Louise’s garage sale scores and raved over Zona’s finds. “Take the belt down. I’ll give you a hundred for it right now,” said Susan. She was tall and slender, with long chestnut hair (not colored, she always insisted). She would look great in the belt.
“Done,” said Zona.
“Ka-ching,” said Louise and winked at Zona.
Martin stopped by to check on Louise and was invited to join the party, and the group wound up streaming the movie classicRear Window.
