Pride swallowed

SWALLOWED PRIDE
Margaret slipped off her old Barbour and reached for the dog
towels. It was a filthy morning and the dogs were wet and
muddy from end to end. They pushed and shoved, each wanting to
be dried first, so they could go into the kitchen to cuddle up
to the Aga.
She made a cup of coffee and sat down at the kitchen table.
She touched her ear; good gracious she had worn her special
earrings on the dog walk, thank goodness they were still... she
put her hand to the other ear. One of them was missing!
She went into a mental panic. Had it fallen off when she
was drying the dogs? When she took off her coat? In the car
on the way to the walk? She searched everywhere but the
earring was not to be found.
`They're insured, don't worry, you've still got one, we'll

cont./...

2.
have one made to match,' her husband said, but that match
wouldn't be the same. She wanted the originals he had given her
for their tenth wedding anniversary, they were her pride and
joy. He took the one remaining to the best jewellers in town
to get it valued and to have the cost of a replacement
estimated for insurance purposes. There was some consolation
in the way the value had escalated since they were bought
seventeen years ago.
For several weeks it rained and on her walks Margaret
watched the mud getting deeper and squelchier and as she
ploughed through it she knew there wasn't a hope of ever
finding her little treasure. Then the sun came out and the mud
became thick and sticky. The cows were put out to grass and a
crocodile of sixty or seventy dairy cows trailed two and fro to
meadows along the footpath twice a day in each direction. The
earring was well and truly lost. It would be buried and
wouldn't be found at least until future generations excavated
the land for building or perhaps not at all.
She would have to return to the jeweller in town and agree
to have the replacement made. She set out early to give the
dogs a walk before she left them in the house alone while she
was gone. This morning she wouldn't see her friends with whom
she usually walked. The car park was empty, but it was a
beautiful morning and the dogs were on form.
When she returned to the car there was still no sign of any
cont./...

3.
walkers but as she pulled out of the park someone tapped on the
window. She wound it down feeling annoyed at being delayed.
She forced a smile. `Can I help you?'
`This is a long shot,' the fat lady said. `About a
fortnight ago I was walking down here, I always walk early
because I work you see, I never see anyone, but..' Why didn't
she get on with it? The traffic would be at its peak if she
didn't soon get going. The woman gabbled on, `I'd like to
be able to walk with other people but there it is..'
`I was going to ask you, and I don't suppose for a minute
you'll be able to help, but I wondered if you knew anyone who
lost it... I found one. I think its quite a good one...
`An earring? Really! It's mine, it has to be, oh I'm so
grateful, please give it to me...'
`Yes. Supposing you describe it to me first.' The woman
mistrusted Margaret, she wasn't going to hand it over to just
anyone. `It's rather bent but... I don't want to return it to
the wrong person.'
`I am the right person. It's a pearl set in a gold zig-zag,
a sort of filigr'e star...' The fat lady stuffed her hand into
her pocket and brought out a twist of tissue paper and began to
unwrap it at which point her Jack Russel jumped up, grabbed the
paper and swallowed it whole.
`Oh no!' they both yelped together.
`Jip, that's very naughty. You know Mummy doesn't keep your
sweeties in that pocket...'
cont./...

4.
`Now I've really lost it, if it was mine. ' Margaret wailed.
She wanted to scream and upbraid the fat old bag, and she could
have killed Jip with her bare hands.
`It was yours alright, but not to worry.'
`Not to worry! What do you mean? Your wretched dog has
just eaten my earring.' Margaret's mouth fell open as the woman
went on.
`I'll keep my eyes open, I'll find it, don't you worry.
Where do you live? I'll bring it to you on Friday about lunch
time, that's my half day off.'
Margaret swallowed hard and her imagination ran riot.
`Don't worry!' the fat lady said again, `I'll spruce it up
before I give it back to you, it'll be perfectly alright.'
`Thank you,' she managed to gasp. She passed the fat lady a
piece of paper with her phone number on it. `If you don't find
it, this will save you the journey to my house. I must go now,
I'm hurrying to beat the traffic, I'm going into town to...' As
she wound up the window she thought it better to wait until
after Friday before going.
Suffice it to say, the earring was recovered and didn't
suffer any ill effects, and although Margaret frequently
cringes before putting on her precious pearls set in gold
filigr'e, one of the pair was repaired and it's no longer
possible to tell which had the adventures.

FINIS