Morning all. We’ve made it to the mid point of the week before Christmas. How many of you plan to spend your day trying to trying to track a missing parcel through FedEx? Yeah right there with you. Before we all press the number that most closely aligns with our customer service request, let’s jump into our morning prompt. Timers at the ready and off we go…
I like this one. Not sure where it is going to lead, but I like the character. I just need to find the right story for her.
Wednesday, December 20th: The sweater was incredibly soft.
The sweater was incredibly soft. It was one she had for a few years and treasured. Kristen took it out of the drawer and held it up. It was made from the softest cashmere she ever felt and took her six months to save up to purchase. While she made a decent living, there were other more important things to spend her money on. The sweater was a luxury. So instead of simply spending on it, she made herself give up a few of the little extras she added to her days putting that money into a fund.
It meant that she wasn’t spending her rainy day fund frivolously and she wasn’t being what her grandmother would call a spendthrift. She gave up her daily coffee at a coffee shop. She was more frugal at the grocery store. And all the extra she left in her savings to gather interest while she waited. She marked down the amounts in a little note book and didn’t include the interest so that her savings would improve a little even when she purchased it.
Too many years of listening to her grandparents lectures on waste made her cautious of the purchase even when she saved up enough. She knew it was not something she needed. Simply something she wanted. Even after she saved up enough it took her two months to convince herself to actually spend the money to purchase it. When she did, it was worth all of the savings.
Now each winter when the weather turned cold it was the first item she took out of the drawer. She made certain it was a day she was expected no where and had no chance to spill or stain the sweater. She would wear it on special days throughout the winter, even if those days were only special to her. And then at the end of the season, she would carefully tuck it away in her cedar chest for the following year.
It was a small thing and Kristen knew it would mean little to anyone else. But it meant a lot to her. Today she took the sweater out, unfolding it and feeling the softness against her fingertips. The weather turned in the night and this afternoon, when she returned home, she would put it on and settle herself by the fire. Before then, she wanted to air it out and let it breathe.
‘Besides, I don’t want to risk ruining it with my errands.’
Kristen carefully laid it on the bed and got ready for her day. It was a busy one and she knew it was going to be a rough one. It made the feeling of having something special waiting for her at home even greater. It was something to look forward to.
The day was worse than she feared. Issues spiraled into problems and then into calamities. She ran from one crisis to another. By the time she made it home, Kristen was exhausted. She shed her coat and planned a long hot shower before she dressed and settled herself in front of the fire. At this point she was tired enough that she wasn’t hungry. With Mike out of town and her step children busy elsewhere, she knew dinner wasn’t going to be a priority for anyone.
Her mind on her shower, Kristen went into the bedroom. She frowned as she looked at the bed. She knew she left the sweater there, but now it was gone. She frowned and began looking around. Little by little, Kristen realized other things of hers were missing as well.
Ten til Midnight 