Short Story: Charmed

Short Story: Charmed

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“What the fudge! You’re not ready! Stephie you’re not ready have you seen the time?”

“I can’t find it. I’ve looked everywhere I just can’t find it.”

“What. Look at the time, what are you doing! Come on, we’ve got to find a parking place and you don’t want to arrive all hot and bothered. Stephie what are you doing?”

“I can’t find it, my charm. I can’t find my lucky charm. I’ve looked all over the place. I had it last week and now it’s gone. I can’t go without it. Come on help me look. You know I can’t go without it. Shit, shit, shit.”

“Come on calm down. Now, when did you have it?”

“I told you, I just told you. God you never listen do you. I had it last week. Don’t just stand there, help me look. Oh bugger where the fudge is it.”

“Stephie. Come here. Come on get up it’s not going to be under the bed is it? Come on you really do need to get yourself ready. What are you wearing, are you wearing the blue suit?”

“Yeah, yeah the blue one, in the wardrobe. I can’t go without it though Phil.”

“Look, it’s a bit of metal and plastic that’s all. You really do need to be realistic about it. It’s not magic it’s just a bit of tat. You’ll wow them at the interview because of you and what you can do and who you are. A bit of junk metal isn’t going to make a difference.”

“Junk. Tat. How can you, oh how can you. You know how important it is. You know nothing goes right if I don’t have it with me. You know Gramps gave it to me.”

Okay, I know you think it’s important and I know about Gramps but it’s not him it’s just a daft bit of stuff he gave you. Lots of things go right when you don’t have it with you. Christ you don’t carry it with you all the time, you didn’t have it when we found this house.”

“Did.”

“Okay but you didn’t have it when we got the loan.”

“Did. You don’t know, you see you just don’t know me at all do you. I always have it, whenever we, I, do anything important I have to have it with me. I didn’t have it last year when we had that crash in the car and I didn’t have it in Greece when we were robbed. Things go wrong when I don’t have it.”

“Christ Stephie, it’s getting late come on love you really need to get ready. You don’t need the soddin’ charm. It won’t matter if you have it, if you don’t have it – no difference you’ll see.” …

“Well, how do I look?”

“Great, you look stunning. They won’t be able to resist you. The job’s yours no problem.”

“I wonder if it’s in the car. Do you think it might be in the car?”

“Let it go Steph. Just concentrate now on the interview. The lucky charm isn’t going to make a difference. Your gramps would want you to concentrate on the interview not some daft little toy thing. Come on we’re going, grab your bag.” …

“Well. How did it go.”

“Yeah, well. Hee hee. They want me to start next month. They agreed to my salary suggestion and they agreed to let me take my holiday in March. Shit they agreed to everything I couldn’t believe it.”

“Oh love, I’m so proud of you. I knew you could do it. Right we’ll book a table at Marco’s tonight and go and celebrate. Stephie.”

“Hmm.”

“Don’t get mad.”

“What.”

“Well, I just wanted to say. You didn’t have the charm with you today did you and this has gone better than you thought it would. It was nowhere around, you don’t even know where it is. I’ll help you find it but you do see Stephie, do you? You don’t need bits of toys and stuff to make things work.”

“Hmm, I guess. I would love to know where it is though.”

“Well maybe now you’ll have more confidence eh. What do you reckon? Come on give me your suit, I’ll put it in the wash and we can get ready and go and celebrate. You clever thing. Hey you’ve got a hole in the jacket pocket. What’s this lump in the lining?”

“What?”

“Nothing, it’s nothing.”