That Day

Flash Fiction

That Day

Something shiny caught my eye as I was walking home from school. I tended to look down a lot because I didn’t want to see everybody else riding by in their parents, or caretaker’s car. I was the poorest kid in my class.

I didn’t mind so much. Mom worked at the school and we had a good life. However not rich. The school was something we apparently couldn’t afford. However, because my mother worked there, and was quite important, I was able to go there free. My younger years were fun, but as we all got older it became apparent that they were rich, and I was not.

As I walked toward the shiny thing, I could see it seemed to have some glass on it, that’s what sparkled. It turned out to be a square item, soft, like leather around the shiny part and with a chain at two of the corners. Now I could see it was a small purse of some kind. I picked it up.

Just as I did, a car grinded to a halt right next to where I was standing. “You found it!” came a happy yell from the car. One of the girls from my class, one I didn’t know very well, came running over. She and her mother had been searching for it for a while.

I handed it over quickly. The girls in my class can be very mean. But Andrea just took the purse, and then hugged me!

“Oh, thank you Jenny! I was so afraid I lost it!” she said. Then she turned to the car and asked her mother if we could all go for ice cream. Her mom said “Of course!” without even flinching!

And best friends for life began that very day, sixty-three years ago.