The Wallet

         Victoria was a star performer at a major credit card company. She was on the fast track after creating a successful national marketing campaign. Profits jumped off the charts. She anticipated a promotion to Senior Vice President of the Southwest Operations Center. Free time would be hard to find with added job responsibilities. This trip, to be with her best forever friend, Debbie, was just what she needed. The connection between them was strong.

         The drive to Chicago was uneventful. The conversation between them was fast and non-stop. Debbie was excited about having her best friend reach her dream job. Victoria listened intently to Debbie's latest challenges at the hospital where she was an attending pediatrician. The weekend disappeared with eating and watching movies with popcorn and Skittles. On the last day, she arranged to go to the huge museum near the Cubs' baseball stadium. Debbie dallied in the gift shop before they walked across the street to The Palms restaurant. They fell into an easy conversation, both expressing to the other how short the visit had seemed. They spoke the special short-hand language of best friends. They were twins, they joked, separated at birth. Neither wanted the visit to end.

         "I almost forgot to tell you! I am coming back soon for Simone's college graduation." Victoria exclaimed. "I thought my cousin would never finish school." She glanced at her car, then back to her friend. "I miss you already, Deb."

         "Ditto, spaghetti-o!'

         "Let's go to Navy Pier for lunch next time. I heard there is a new Bistro we haven't tried yet. It's your turn to buy."

         "For sure, Vic. You've got a date!" She smiled widely, then nudged her friend toward her car. "You need to get going. Promise you will stop when you get sleepy?"

         Victoria assured her she would do that and climbed into the driver's side. She waved and watched Deb in her rearview mirror until the road curved and she was no longer in view. She was on her way, back to her spacious three-bedroom home in Phoenix, with its green backyard for her dog Pugs and Ozzie, her fluffy orange rescue. The interstates connected for 1750 miles. Her iPhone predicted the trip would take thirty-two hours.

         As she approached the Interstate’s on-ramp, Victoria reflected on the last four days. She already missed Debbie desperately. As college roommates, they were together day after marvelous day. Becoming sorority sisters added to the close bond cemented in second grade. Debbie had stepped in when a creepy third grader pushed Victoria. He was suspended. She had the audiobook set to play.

         "Half an hour after Tim Jamieson’s Delta flight was scheduled to leave Tampa for the bright lights and tall buildings of New York, it was still parked at the gate."

         The first line of Stephen King's "The Institute." Debbie helped her select the book. They were both King fans. Debbie, as usual, pre-ordered her copy. She read it in one sitting. She assured Victoria the book was vintage King.

         Cruise control worked well to keep her from speeding. Her record was 700 miles at one stretch. It was dozens past that when the blasting heater made her sleepy. No matter what season it was, when she was on a road trip, she dressed in jean shorts, and a short-sleeved pullover shirt with flip-flops on her feet. The car's air conditioning and heater were tip-top. She pulled into the next rest stop. Finding a parking spot between two sedans, she no sooner turned off the engine than she was asleep.

         She was groggy and disoriented when she woke up in the same position as when she turned off the engine. She walked stiffly to the restroom. She splashed her face with the frigid cold water that was enough to bring her wide awake. She scraped off the crusty stuff on the sides of her mouth and the sand the sandman left in the corners of her eyes. If the cold water had not been enough, the brisk windy air would jar her awake. Returning to her car she knew the next thing was to find a place to eat. She was famished by the time she reached a restaurant. She sat down at the curved front counter next to a young man with a white cowboy hat.

         Ordering eggs, biscuits with gravy, home fries, and fruit, she engaged in a conversation with the cowboy hat man. He was from Dallas. He was driving a truck but truly wanted to be an actor. Victoria told him about her appearance on a game show filmed in an actor's Paradise, Hollywood. He nodded and laughed when she told him how grungy the set was in person, The conversation moved on to sports as she was being served breakfast. They talked about the chances of the new ice hockey team in Las Vegas being in the playoffs. He was wearing a gold shirt with the team name "Knights." He paid for his breakfast and tipped his hat at her as he left. The server asked about her meal. Victoria assured her it was delicious. She looked briefly at the bill. She retrieved her wallet, a designer one Debbie insisted on buying her, selected her American Express card, and passed it to her server.

          The server had a huge friendly smile as she waved the card away. “I’m sorry, hon, the machine just went down. I'm afraid I will need cash.”

         "No problem," Victoria replied. She had withdrawn five twenty-dollar bills from an ATM machine in case something like this would happen. Her face fell immediately, as she looked where she had left the money and it was gone.

         “I think my cash may have fallen in my car. I’ll be right back," she explained.

         Opening the driver's door, she expected the cash to turn up. After a frantic search, she found two quarters and seven pennies but no twenty-dollar bills. She could not imagine what happened. She remembered the tip of the hat from the young trucker. There was no time or opportunity for him to have anything to do with the disappearance. Puzzled, she went back inside, returning to her seat already cleared of dishes. Looking directly into her server’s soft blue eyes, she explained what she knew about the missing money. She noticed the server's name badge. "Debbie," it said. Fighting tears, Victoria told Debbie about her forever friend, also named Debbie, and how they had spent a long weekend together in Chicago.

         Debbie said she had a brief story to tell. She and her best forever friend, Stephanie, were enjoying a visit two weeks before. They crammed activities into the weekend to take full advantage of their time. Whenever they were together they had an agreement to share expenses. They would alternate paying for meals or activities. Debbie said they were so close they joked that they were twins separated at birth.

         "Wow! My friend and I just said the same thing about us!"

         “You look tired, hon," she said. “Go ahead and get back in your car. Be sure to fasten your seatbelt and be on your way. I’ve got you covered here."