Daily Flash Fiction Challenge

Ava closed the door and took off Sammy’s leash, leaning over to kiss him as his tail wagged, “Hey, Ethan?” she called, “I ordered a pie. There’s a twenty on the table if the bell rings. I’m going to take a shower.”

“Okay, mom,” Ethan said from his room.

Ava was drying off as the bell rang.

“Hey, mom? Where’d you say you put the money?”

“On the table, Ethan,” she sighed.

“Not there,” he called back. “I can’t find it anywhere.”

Ava quickly slipped on her shorts and top mumbling under her breath as she headed toward the kitchen. She saw the delivery guy holding their pizza and her son standing there looking at her. “Well did you even look?” she said.

“Of course I did. It’s nowhere.”

Ava looked on the table. No money. “I put it right there. Maybe it fell,” she said looking under the table and on the chairs.

“Mom could we look for it later, I’m hungry.”

“Sure, it’s not your money,” Ava said and took another twenty from her purse. “Thank you,” she said to the man and closed the door.

“Maybe you forgot to take it out,” Ethan said as pulled a slice apart from the pie.

“I’m sure I put it right here,” Ava said, now not so sure.

The next night when Ava came home from work, she grabbed Sammy’s leash and took him for a walk. She was yawning as he did his “business,” glad Ethan was going to have dinner with some friends. She was happy to just have a bowl of cereal for dinner.

As she bent down with her doggie bag, something caught her eye. She gasped. It was the partially poop-covered eye of Andrew Jackson staring up at her.


WC 294