The Brooch

The Brooch

“Alan Bradshaw get your grubby hand off my elbow!” Minnie Gray said.

“You have the right to remain silent.” Chief Bradshaw said, as they sat on the bench in front of Craig’s Second Hand Store.

“I’ll be silent when you get your grubby hand off my elbow,” she spat, wrenching her elbow away.

“Now Minnie...” he started.

“And you can call me Mrs. Gray, you little trouble maker.”

“I’m not the one who threatened to turn Mr. Banks into a toad.”

“I told that man that my brooch was not supposed to be in that box I donated and do you know what he said? He said ‘How do I know this came out of your box, Lady?’ He called me lady! Like I was some scum off the street! So I said, ‘Because that’s my brooch, so how would it have gotten into anybody else’s box!”

“Mr. Banks is new here, Min... ah, Mrs. Gray. He doesn’t know you. He doesn’t know you taught third grade here for forty years. He doesn’t know you would never lie. Well, except about being able to turn someone into a toad...”

“You don’t know that I can’t.”

“That’s true. Anyway, I explained some things to him, and he gave me this to return to you,” Alan held out an old gold brooch.

“Oh! Oh, thank you Alan! My Harold gave this to me many years ago. I’ve been looking for it for weeks! I must go in and apologize to Mr. Banks and thank him.

“That would be nice, Mrs. Gray, and then why don’t I give you a ride home?”

“That would be lovely, and you may call me Minnie again. Oh and Alan?”

“Yes?”

“On the way home, can you turn the siren on?”

“Anything for you Minnie!”