The Statue

Beautiful! Perfect in every way. Someone put a lot of time into this
baby. I can't believe it's out here like someone's tommyrot. Well,
another man's trash&;#8230;

"Kadie! Come quick! Look what I found on Hertel Avenue!"

"John, that's ugly! Where do you think you're going to put that thing?
I know you're not putting that monstrosity in THIS house! It's starting
to look like the city dump in here!"

"I thought I'd take her down to the shop and clean her up a bit first.
She'll look perfect in the living room honey." Why can't she see what I
see?

"How do you know it's a her and where in the living room do you THINK
you're putting it?" I can give him a place to put it, Kadie
thought.

"I just know it's a 'her'. After I get her all spiffied up, then I'll
see where she should be, okay?" She'll never understand my love for
fine art.

"John, someone threw that out for a reason! Probably when they returned
to their senses and realized how hideous it was!"

"C'mon Kadie&;#8230;"

"Why do you have to keep slogging all of this junk home?" Sometimes she
felt as if she married the town garbage collector.

"Sarah is not junk!" Wow, she had a name and I knew it! Wonder how I
knew that?

"Sarah? Don't even take me there John!" I have about had it with this
confounding artist mentality.

"Sweetie, look at how much money I saved us by not having to buy her. I
mean, she was free!" Free is always good, right? Of course it
was.

"Honestly John, sometimes I wonder how we ever connected enough to get
married."

"Because I love you and you love me. You've heard that old saying
honey, 'Opposites attract'. Haha! I'll be back later honey. Come along
Sarah. Let's go get unsullied my dear."

"Keep talking to that thing and people are going to think you've lost
all your marbles! Are you even listening to me? John?" No, of course he
wasn't. He was wrapped up in another piece of refuse, as usual. I
should've listened to everyone who warned me, "marrying an artist will
only be a headache' and 'don't think he'll ever change Kadie, because
he won't', and things like that. I thought, like most women do, that I
could love him enough to change him. Three months ago, I knew
everything, now I feel like I know nothing.

**

"Well, this is my shop. You like it? Of course you do. And do you know
how I know that? I can tell by that smile on your face." She needed a
new coat of varnish and maybe a little sanding to smooth down the
edges, but I think this is the most perfect article I have ever found
in all my years.

She was in a squatting position with her left hand resting delicately
on her knee. Her head was tilted just so and placed upon her right
hand. The eyes were meticulously carved with the exactness that can
only be crafted by a perfectionist. Her lips were full like an engorged
river, slightly swollen from the evening rain. She had on, what looked
to be a loincloth of some sort. Her feet were flawless. You could make
out every perfectly handcrafted toe, right down to the toenails. Yes,
she was going to take a little work, but the end result would be a
splendor worth waiting for.

**

"John? Are you in here?"

"Kadie! You startled me. I thought you didn't like coming down to the
shop?"

"I don't, but I thought you might be mad if you missed out on
dinner."

"Dinner? What time is it?" Can't be that late. Could I have lost that
much time in daydreaming?

"After eight. I was just worried, that's all."

"No, it's okay honey. I must have lost track of time. So what do you
think? Sarah's coming along nicely, eh?"

"It looks fine hon", she said without even a glance at the piece of
wood. "Will you be coming up to the house soon?"

"Yeah, I guess I'll close up for the night. I'm right behind you
honey."

"Okay, I'll see you back at the house." How does someone lose track of
three hours? I'll never understand what he sees in all of this junk. At
least he's not mad. To be honest, he probably doesn't even remember our
earlier go-round.

**

"What's for dinner lady bug?"

"I just made us some sandwiches. I thought it would be nice to sit out
on the porch and talk."

"Sure Kadie, we'll talk." I know what this means&;#8230;She wants to
discuss all the wonderful things about me that she doesn't understand.
Boredom and aggravation, all in the same conversation. Who could ask
for anything more? All right! I guess we should get this over
with.

"These are good honey. What do you want to talk about?" She always made
the best sandwiches but she always served a bit of hostility on the
side in the form of conversation. I don't think I'll ever understand
women.

"Nothing in particular. I just wanted to know how things are going with
you lately. You seem to be spending a lot of time in your shop but you
don't seem to be accomplishing much." Maybe I should be thankful he's
not cheating but in a way, with all the time he spends in that shop, I
feel as if I have to compete with his art.

"Lately I've had a blank screen in my head. You know, like writer's
block. I guess I'd have to call this painter's block haha."

"I guess you have to take the ideas with the empty screens. Maybe
you're working too hard honey. I know, why don't we take a little trip
to the lake this weekend? You don't have anything on your schedule
that's pressing right now and your next piece isn't due for another
month. This way you can clear out all those blank screens and come back
refreshed and raring to go. What do you say?"

"Blank screens&;#8230;Idea! That's it! I'll paint some pictures of
Sarah. This'll be great. There are so many things I can do with this.
Oils, maybe pastels, or ever watercolors. Honey, you always know the
right thing to say to spark my creativity. Thank you!"

"That's not what I was trying to do! I think we need some time to
ourselves John." This whole situation keeps getting better and better,
she thought sarcastically. I feel like screaming!

"You heading to bed lady bug?"

"Yeah, I'll see you in the morning. John? Please come to bed soon
honey. I hate sleeping alone."

"Kisses and huggies to my lady buggie. I'll be up to join you shortly,
okay?"

"Okay." No he wouldn't. He'll get wrapped up in all of the plans that
he's making for that Sarah-thing. He'll probably stay up all night as
usual. I guess I should learn to enjoy having the bed all to myself.
Goody! It wasn't always like this though.

Three months ago it was ideal. I knew that I could give him whatever he
needed to replace this art obsession. He was all ready close to giving
it up. Then he started finding all sorts of junk. First he takes each
piece to the shop and cleans it up. Then these pieces come home, one by
one, filling up all of the spaces in our home. I never knew how deeply
rooted his love for art went. Now I do.

"Sarah will love these ideas!" I can't wait until tomorrow to show
Sarah. Why wait? My mind is sending off the intuitional vibes again. Do
I listen to them? Trust your gut instinct. Well maybe this is a mind
instinct haha. Yeah! That's it. I need to go and paint while I have the
inspiration to do so. I ought to tell Kadie that I'm leaving. Naw,
she's probably sleeping all ready. I'll just leave her a note. "Okay
Sarah, ready or not, here I come!"

"John?" I know I heard something. Great! It's almost midnight and he
still hasn't come to bed. His nightclothes are still hanging on the
door. Should I go check on him? Maybe.

"Here we go Sarah. I'm going to set you up here on the table and set
you in position with the light. There! Boy you are quite the heavy
little lady aren't you?" I didn't think she was going to be this heavy.
Funny, but she didn't seem this heavy on the way home. I wonder why?
Secrets. Where are all these thoughts coming from? Maybe I'm just
getting tired. Now where did I put that brush? There it is. "Only the
best paint for my girl." This is going to be awesome! I really cannot
believe my luck lately. First I find a great girl like Kadie and then I
find my wonderful girl, Sarah. Life keeps getting better and better.
Together, Kadie and Sarah would make the absolute perfect woman. "Where
did that one come from?" My mind is definitely heading towards left
field tonight. That's enough for now. "Sarah? I've got to get some
sleep. I'll see you in the morning."

**

"John?" Where is he? "John?" Hmm, no answer. Maybe he fell asleep in
the den. He does that occasionally. Wonders will never cease! No, he's
not in here. Where the hell is he? Ah, a note.

Dear Kadie Bug,

I went to the shop to paint a little.
I'm having an inspirational moment.
I'll be back in a little bit.

Hugglies,

John

**

Ugh! Now he's going out at all hours of the night too? I can not take
much more of this! How can he just tromp off in the night because he
has an idea? I'm going back to bed.

Choking! Can't breathe! Let go of me! Somebody! Get it off of me!
"Help!"

"Kadie? Kadie! Wake up honey! It's only a bad dream. Are you
okay?"

"Huh? Yeah, I'm find. That was really a weird dream. I
dreamed&;#8230;oh, never mind."

"If it's something that's bothering you hon, I'd like to know."

"It was nothing. John?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you hold me please?"

"Come here my little lady bug. Want me to sing that little song I wrote
for you when we were dating?"

"That would be great. Thanks baby."

"Kadie bug, lady bug fly away&;#8230;Come again another day. Kadie
bug, lady but come and play&;#8230;In the sunshine and the rain.
Kadie?" Good, she's asleep. I hate it when she has bad dreams. I wonder
what did it tonight? Maybe me leaving like that. She probably sensed
that I wasn't beside her and her subconscience took over. Yeah, that's
probably all it was. "Goodnight my lady bug."

She was so beautiful. I only really look at her when she's sleeping
though. Kadie doesn't like to be looked at much. That's the difference
between her and Sarah. Sarah loves all the attention that I give her.
With Kadie, if you spend too much time staring at her she's convinced
that you're up to something or that there's a problem with her hair. My
life feels so complete now. Like I was waiting all along for these two
perfect creatures.

"Good morning my sweet. Did you sleep okay after that dream?"

"Yes, I was fine after that. I thought I heard something and when I got
up to look, I couldn't find you."

"I left you a note. Didn't you find it?"

"Yeah, I found the note. I didn't understand how you could go off in
the middle of the night though."

"You don't understand because you, my dear, are not an artist. Whenever
I get one of those feelings, I have to act on it. I'm sorry if I made
you worry. Are you mad?"

"No, just confused. When we got married, I married only you,
right?"

"Yes, but you married all of me. My dreams, fantasies and aspirations
are all a part of who I am. Okay?"

"Fine. Let's just drop the whole subject. I'll make us some
breakfast."

"I'm not that hungry. I need to go and get some work down at the shop.
I should be home in time for lunch, okay?"

Like him not wanting breakfast is surprising. "Can't you stay just a
little longer? I hate eating breakfast alone", she said with her best
pout face.

"Honey, I'm wasting precious inspired minutes. I'll be home soon,
okay?"

"Fine." I can't believe this! If I were some piece of garbage, he'd
have time for me. I need advice on this whole mess before I strangle
'Mr. Artist'. I know, I'll call Alyzabeth. She always knows what I
should do in matters of relationships.

Alyzabeth has been my best friend since the second grade. Since the
first time Jordin Trabucco pulled my ponytail and Lyz decked him haha.
We've been through everything together. Well, almost everything.
Alyzabeth is gay, so some things we don't share haha. She feels for me
the same way that I feel about her though. There was never any other
kind of feeling there. John had a problem with our friendship at first.
After I explained how things were between Lyz and me though, he left it
alone. Men never seemed to understand these things.

Rring. Rring. "Hello?"

"Hey Lyz."

"Kadie? What's wrong?"

"I didn't say anything was wrong. Can't I just call for the heck of
it?" Sometimes I think Lyz knew me better than I knew myself.

"Not in the middle of the day. Come on Kadie. I know you better than
that."

"I just need to talk. Can I come over?"

"Honey, you didn't have to call. Just come over! Desiree' is still at
work anyway. How soon can you get here?"

"I'm all ready gone Lyz. Thanks for this. I owe you one."

"I'll see you in a few hon. Bye."

**

"Well Sarah, what do you think of this so far?" Never before has
painting been so easy! It's like the brush has a move all it's own.
"Sarah you are the best model I've ever had!" These ought to sell
quickly. No! "Huh?" Must be the wind. What am I thinking? I can't sell
these! These portraits represent everything that I live for. No, they
are too personal to sell to anyone! I know what I'll do. I'll
redecorate the shop to resemble the time period that Sarah is from.
This will be great! Time for a trip to the library. "Sarah? I'll be
back in a bit. I've got a surprise for you."

Knock-knock. "Come on in."

"Hey girl, is this still a good time?"

"Get in here silly. I made us some coffee. I even put all the puffy
pillows on the floor so we can curl up like we did in our old college
days."

"Thanks Alyzabeth. You always know how to make me feel better."

"What's up kiddo? Is the honeymoon over all ready?"

"I guess you could say that. I don't know. I thought marriage would be
different. At first all he did was drag junk home. The other day though
he found this Indian oak statue thing and now he spends all day with
it! Last night, after I went to bed, he left the house and went down to
the shop. This was after midnight Lyz!?"

"Did he tell you he was leaving?"

"He left me a note explaining that he had some sort of inspirational
thing going on. Big deal! When I get urges I don't always act on them.
If it's important, I'll feel it again sooner or later. I just don't
understand. What do you think Lyz?"

"Have you told John how you feel about this statue thing?"

"C'mon Lyz, you know how it is trying to talk to him. He's an artist
for goodness sake. Augh! Sometimes it gets so aggravating."

"Honey, no one ever said life was going to be perfect just because you
get married. Usually, that's when all of the fun that life has planned
for you begins. You've got to learn to take the good with the bad hon.
You've only been married three months. He's probably still getting used
to sharing his life and his work with someone. Remember that he's been
a bachelor for 35 years. He will probably get bored with this statue
thing and find something else to irritate you with. Haha. Don't worry
so much."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. You make it all sound so easy. I know I
worry a lot about nothing."

"Don't let all of this weigh on you Kadie or you'll end up driving
yourself nuts with it."

"I know."

"See? This is why we're such good friends. You have the book smarts and
I have the common sense haha."

"Thanks Lyz. Well I guess I should go. John might actually show up for
dinner and I didn't tell him I was coming over here today."

"All right dear. If you need anything, anything at all, you know where
I live."

"Thanks Lyz. I'm sure I'll be fine."

"Take it easy hon and I'll see ya' later."

"Bye. Thanks again Alyzabeth. Tell Desiree' that I said hello. I wish
you two could stop over some night and have dinner with us."

"We will. Go get some rest honey."

**

"Excuse me, sir? Where can I find the books about Indian artifacts and
artwork?"

"Check over in the 1700 row. We have many books on that subject."

"Thank you." Wow! There are two shelves on this. Well, guess I'll have
a seat for a little while. I'm glad this place is open all night. Ever
since college started back up the city figured it would be a good idea
to keep the library open all night to keep the kids off the street. The
weekends are the only time this place is empty. What a joke. Well I
guess it's still a good thing though. Otherwise I may have had to wait
until tomorrow to find out where Sarah is from. Hmmm, it says here that
Sarah is actually an ancient goddess. I should cross-reference this
name here, Sarai.

Ancient goddess of evil spirits. Was known to lure men in with her
charms and then steal their soul and replace them with a soul from the
underworld. Her sister, Loammi, would trade the good soul for the bad
soul. Very interesting. My little Sarah is a she-devil of sorts. Haha.
Not with a gorgeous face like that. I must've looked this up wrong.
I'll try again on a different day. It's getting late and it's about
time I got home. Don't want my little ladybug to worry.

**

"John?" He must still be at the shop. This is definitely unhealthy for
us. Always passing each other and never finding a mutual ground. Well,
what to do about dinner? I think I'll call out for pizza. We haven't
had that in a long time and John would love it. I never have been too
great in the kitchen.

"Kadie? You home?"

"In the kitchen honey. How did it go today? Did you get some of those
paintings done?"

"Lady bug, you would not believe all the wonderful things that have
happened today! I finished two paintings and I went down to the
library. I want to do a little redecorating in the shop." In a way that
enhances Sarah's beauty, he thought.

"And? What did you go to the library for?"

"According to the books I found, Sarah, whose real name is Sarai, was a
goddess of some sort. I'm going back tomorrow and see what I can find
out about the period she's from." No sense in getting Kadie's
imagination going with too much detail. Evil spirit stuff would have
her up all night for sure.

"Sounds neat honey. Maybe I'll go down with you."

"I thought you'd like to go and pick out some new colors for the
carpeting while I'm at the library hon."

"That would be great! Thanks John." Lyz was right. He's coming around
and getting off that statue obsession.

There's no way I want her knowing about Sarah's true identity. Kadie
always goes overboard with stuff like that. Some things are better left
unsaid, especially where Kadie is concerned.

**

Let go of me! He's mine! Get away! I've got to get away. No! Leave us
alone. "Nooo!"

"Kadie? Two nights in a row, honey, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. This dream thing is getting old quickly though."

"Try to relax a little. Your shoulders are so tense. Can I get you
anything?"

"Yeah, I could really go for a glass of water hon. My throat feels
pretty dry."

"Sure thing princess. I'll be right back."

"Thanks honey." What the fudge is going on inside my head? I thought I
had everything straightened out in there. I have got to get a decent
nights rest.

"Here you go lady bug. Better?"

"Um, yes, thank you."
"Well let's get back to bed. We can still get in a few more
hours."

"I'm wide awake. I think I'll go downstairs and get a bite of
something. You want me to fix you some breakfast?"

"Kadie, it's five in the morning! You know I can't eat this early.
Later, okay babe?"

"Okay. If you need anything, just holler."

"I will. I love you."

"I love you too John."

Now what to do. John still hasn't caught on about all the worrying that
I've been doing lately. I think that I might go see what I can find out
about this statue thing myself. Maybe if I know exactly who or what she
represented, it would put my mind at ease. Something's just not sitting
right with all of this. Trust your gut instinct. I wonder if Lyz has
plans for today.

Rring. Rring. "Hello?"

"Lyz? It's Kadie."

"Hey dudette. What's up so bright and early on a Saturday
morning?"

"I wanted to know if you'd go with me to the library? John found out
that the statue is really some sort of goddess. I get the feeling that
he's not telling me the whole story though. I just wanted to check it
out for myself."

"You're not planning on going now are you haha? I mean, the library
isn't even open yet."

"No, not now. Later on this afternoon, after John leaves. He's going to
the downtown library so I thought that we could go to the one on
campus. Do you still have your entry card?"

"Yeah, somewhere here. I'll come by and pick you up around noon,
okay?"

"Thanks again Lyz. You're still the greatest."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'll see you later okay hon?"

"Thanks. Bye."

Well that takes care of that. Desiree' usually starts getting ready for
work around five. It's funny because Lyz was always a night owl until
she met Desiree'. Now Lyz is up with the sun haha. I wonder what I'm
going to find out. How bad can it be?

**

"Hey baby. Thanks for letting me sleep. So, what did you do all by your
lonesome?"

"I called Lyz and wrote some letters. I think I'm going to hang out
with her today. Can I do the color thing tomorrow?"

"Sure honey. There's no rush on it. I just thought you would enjoy it.
You're really good with matching colors and textures and that kind of
stuff."

"It's pretty bad when an artist can't coordinate haha."

"Yeah, I know. Anyway, tomorrow is fine dear. What time are you
leaving?"

"Lyz said she'd come by around noon. We're going to do a little
shopping. Do you need anything?"

"Well, if you get a chance, could you pick me up a few canvases? I've
only got a couple left."

"Canvases it is."

"I'm going to go ahead and go hon. I want to stop by the shop before I
head out to the library."

"Okay, see you at dinner, right?"

"Right. Later lady bug. Kissies."

"Kissies." Now it's just a matter of waiting for Lyz. I hope she gets
here a little earlier. I didn't know John was leaving so soon. Knowing
Alyzabeth, she'll be hours early haha.

**

"Good morning my Sarah." She looks pretty, even in the dim light. "I
just wanted to take a few snapshots of you dear." They are for
comparison. I want to make sure that I get everything exactly like it
should be. I think I'll take the camera to the library too. I might get
an idea from the pictures.

Ding-dong. "Hello Lyz."

"You all ready?"

"All set."

"Can I get a drink of water before we go? It's a scorcher out there
today."

"Sure. Come on into the kitchen."

"Thanks. So why can't we go to the downtown library again?"

"Because that's the one that John's going to. For some reason he
doesn't want me with him. He asked if I would get carpet for the shop
instead. Weird, huh? I mean, usually he doesn't want me anywhere near
the shop and now he wants me to pick out the colors for it. Something
is definitely wrong with this picture."

"Yeah, I see what you mean. Well, let's head out."

"Okay, thanks for doing this Lyz."

"You're welcome Kadie. It's not like I had anything else to do.
Desiree' had to go on a business trip. She left this morning and she'll
be in Florida for the next two weeks. I can't stand it. I miss her so
much all ready."

"She's had a lot of business trips lately, hasn't she?"

"Well you know she's an ad exec and that requires a lot of
traveling."

"I didn't mean anything by that Lyz. I was just asking."

"Sorry. I'm a little edgy with Des gone."

"Yeah, I understand. John seems to be gone all the time lately too.
It's hard to deal with. I feel like I'm the only person who sits home
alone anymore."

"I feel the same way with Desiree' gone all the time."

"We always understand each other. Thanks for being my best friend
Alyzabeth."

"And thank you for being mine. Here we are. I found my card this
morning. Guess where it was?"

"In the fridge? Haha."

"No, I'm not that senile yet. I found it in the letterbox, on top of a
letter from Florida, addressed to Desiree'."

"No! Des trusts me. I'm sure it's nothing so don't get me started
haha."

"I have so much respect for you. I know that if John had received a
letter from anyone I didn't know, I'd have it opened and read in two
seconds flat!"

"That, my dear, is the difference between you and I. You always expect
the worse, while I on the other hand, always try to look at the best
possible explanation."

"Look at this Lyz! It says here that the Indian statue is a rare find,
although not a good one. Most of these were destroyed in a fire. It
also says that this goddess has a sister name Loammi. They would trade
souls, bad for good. Sarai is the one who would capture the good souls
and then she would give them to her sister in return for a bad soul.
The wife of a man who had lost his soul set the fire. Sarai charmed the
men, seduced them, and then sucked their souls out while they were
sleeping. Oh Lyz! Do you think this is true?"

"Honey, you can't believe all that. It's probably just a superstitious
legend. The only thing this is going to do for you is give you
nightmares."

"Too late. I've had them the past couple of nights. I keep dreaming
that someone is after John, while choking me at the same time.
Alyzabeth! Look at this. It says that when Sarai wanted a soul badly
enough she would sometimes kill whatever or whoever was in the way. And
she did this through dreams!"

"Kadie, you and John need to do some serious talking."

"John will never give this thing up. He even talks to it!"

"Where did he get this from again?"

"He said that it was on Hertel Avenue. There's only a couple of houses
there that have pick-up for things this big. I think I'll go and talk
to some people."

"I'll go with you. There's no telling what kind of kooks live in those
houses. Even worse when there's someone at the door inquiring about a
piece of wood. If nothing comes of this though, you have to promise me
that you'll let this drop."

"Promise. Now can we go?"

"All right. Come on."

**

"All right Kadie, this is the last house. Remember what you promised.
So far, no one has a clue what we're talking about and that last guy
looked like he was ready to call the men in the white coats after
us."

Knock-knock. "Who is it?"

"We're looking for someone ma'am. Someone who threw out a statue of an
Indian woman a few days ago?"

"I don't know nothing!"

"Are you sure? Please, anything you know about this, I need to know. My
husband brought it home and I think that we could be in danger."

"Kadie, you're overreacting a bit don't ya' think?"

"Alyzabeth, this is important!"

"I threw it out", came a small voice from inside.

"You did? Great! Can you tell me why?"

"Cuz it's bad, plain and simple! Just bad!"

"What do you mean, 'bad'?"

"I guess I ought to let you in. Don't want the neighbors all up in my
business. This story isn't something I want all over town though, so
mind you, keep it to yourselves."

"We will, won't we Lyz?"

"Yes ma'am. We won't tell anyone."

"Well, I guess it doesn't hurt to tell you two then. It's not here
anymore anyway."

"It's at my husbands shop. He picked it up a few days ago and I can
barely get him away from it for two seconds."

"That's how it does it. First it gets them hooked on her beauty and
such. Then it changes them into lolly gagging fools!"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, he'd sit there all day with that thing. Thought she was might
pretty he did."

"How do you know that the statue was bad though? Do you have anything
to back this up with?"

"Yeah, I got something to back it up with! My proof is lying down in
the graveyard!"

"Oh gracious! I'm so sorry."

"Yeah, sorry. John is still alive though. We need to know how your
husband died."

"My husband? What in tarnation does he have to do with any of
this?"

"I just thought, that when you mentioned the graveyard, you were
referring to your husband."

"Oh no haha. My husband's been dear almost thirty years now! That bad
statue fell on my poor Edgar. My attack cat. Killed him deader than a
doorknob. Edgar didn't have a chance against that bad thing. Died
instantly though. I know that statue did it to him on purpose. Killed
my baby Edgar! That's all I know. It's bad, plain and simple. Just
bad!"

"Thank you for your time ma'am. We're sorry about your cat."

"Yeah, we'll be going now."

"Now don't you two be telling people about my Edgar being dead. If all
those hoodlums find out that my attack cat is gone, they'll be in my
yard raising a ruckus all night! Don't have any use for them hoodlums
you know."

"No ma'am. We won't say a thing to anyone." Because they would laugh us
right out of dodge haha.

**

"Remember our promise Kadie?"

"I do. I feel so silly now."

"As you should haha. It's okay to worry Kadie, but you take it too far
sometimes."

"I know, thanks Lyz. It's easier to take being a fool when your best
friend is by your side."

"It's okay. Are you going to tell John about all of this?"

"No! He'd laugh himself silly. Don't you go telling him about it
either. It's bad enough that we know what I did haha."

"Haha. Life is never boring with you as a best friend Kadie."

"I don't know if you just complimented me or insulted me!"

"I'll give you a call later hon, okay?"

"Okay. Later Lyz."

**

"John? Are you home?"

"In the den baby. You'll never guess what happened today!"

"Something exciting?"

"I'll say! Turns out that the statue was worth a bundle! I found a
dealer and he's going to pay me $2,000 for her! Now we can take that
vacation you have been wanting to take."

"That's great honey! You just made my day!"

"I thought that would make you smile. I think that you've been getting
tired of me being gone all the time and I figured that because you put
up with me, you need a nice vacation haha."

"Where are we going?"

"I rented us a cabin down by the lake for two weeks!"

"John! That's great. When do we leave?"

"Tomorrow morning."

"I've got to call Lyz and tell her the great news."

Rring. Rring. "Hello?"

"Kadie! Guess what! I have the most exciting news!"

"So do I!"

"Okay, it's your quarter and you got through to me before I could get
through to you, so you go first."

"Desiree' called me a few minutes ago and guess what? You know that
letter I found? It was for me! She was tired and accidentally made it
out to herself. I'm going to join her in Florida and I leave the day
after tomorrow."

"Lyz, that's awesome! Okay, now me. John sold the statue for $2,000 and
he's taking me on a two week vacation!"

"See honey? Things always work out for the best."

"That they do Lyz. Thanks. Well, I've got to get packed, we're leaving
in the morning."

"I've got to pack too. Later dudette. Send me a postcard. Wait, I'll be
gone too haha. Just bring me one back okay?"