‘Hey, did you happen to see a bracelet on my left wrist during this morning’s meeting?’
One of my colleagues, who was with me in the morning meeting, asked. Given that I’m often seen as someone with below-average attention, asking me means they’re in a pretty desperate situation, hoping for any help they can get.
‘Hmm. I didn’t specifically notice wrists, but I didn’t catch any glimmer from the side where you were sitting…’ Unless there was a boa constrictor wrapped around it, my eyes wouldn’t really focus on a wrist during a meeting.
‘Yeah, I think I missed it too.’ Another colleague chimed in, agreeing with me.
‘Is it expensive?’
‘It’s a pure gold bracelet my mom gave me. Not super expensive, but definitely not cheap.’
‘So, it’s worth finding. Maybe you should call your mom to see if it’s at home?’
‘If it’s not at home, she’ll know I lost it, and I don’t want that.’ She was firm on this.
‘So, keeping the good daughter image is more important than peace of mind?’
‘More like I don’t want to seem like a scatterbrained daughter.’
‘A smart and good daughter it is. I assume you’ve already checked the meeting room and restroom?’
‘Of course. Plus, I distinctly remember feeling the bracelet on my wrist when I left home and got on the bus this morning. I didn’t stop anywhere and went straight to the meeting.’ If she had it on the bus but no one saw it in the morning meeting, then it must have been lost in between.
‘Are you sure? That could be a memory from yesterday. Memories can be surprisingly inaccurate, you know. And the whole ‘vague memory’ thing is a bit…’
‘I’m sure! I can even tell you exactly when my first love began and ended.’ Not that we could verify it. She continued her story.
‘I’ve worn that bracelet for over a week straight. Even in the shower, even while sleeping. So, it became familiar to have it on my arm. Until this morning, I never felt my wrist was bare.’ I was curious why she wore it while sleeping, but at this point, that wasn’t important.
‘Did you fall asleep on the bus?’ The colleague began gathering preliminary information for a hypothesis.
‘Yes. But I’ve been dozing off on the bus for years, every single day. Could someone have slipped it off my wrist while I was asleep?’
‘Maybe they didn’t mean to steal it. Maybe someone liked you and pretended to find the bracelet just to strike up a conversation.’ The hypothetical ‘someone’ was already taking shape in the theory.
‘Initially, that was their plan, but in the end, they chose the bracelet over you?’ If this theory were to succeed, this conclusion was inevitable.
‘… I hope that’s not the case…’ She muttered with a gloomy expression.
‘Anyway, calling your mom might be the best step. It’s likely at home.’ It’s not easy for a bracelet to disappear when you’re aware. And even if it’s confirmed not at home, thinking of that guy on the bus as a thief from the start wouldn’t be such a blow to your pride. Just as I was thinking this, another colleague suddenly said,
‘What if you call and your mom says, “What are you talking about? I never bought you a bracelet.”?’
And at that moment, as if on cue, the three of us
felt a chill run down our spines.
Leave a Reply