Lost and Found

"I'll check the restroom," Brandi said, already turning toward the back of the diner. "Maybe I set it on the sink."

"I'll ask the waitress," offered Jon.

They split up without another word..Brandi pushed through the restroom door and immediately scanned the countertop beneath the mirror. She checked each sink, then crouched to look beneath them. She found nothing.

One by one she looked inside every stall, hoping she'd absent-mindedly hung the purse on a hook before walking out without it. By the time she stepped back into the dining room, her stomach had tied itself into a knot.

At the same time, Jon was explaining the situation to the waitress. "I'm sorry," he said. "My wife's purse seems to have disappeared. Have you seen anyone turn one in?"

The older woman frowned sympathetically and shook her head. "No, hon. What kind of purse?" Brandi described it from behind him while the waitress listened carefully. "I haven't seen one like that," she admitted. "Let me ask around."

She disappeared through the swinging doors into the kitchen before returning a minute later with the same apologetic expression. "I asked everybody. Nobody's seen it."

"You don't have a lost and found?" Brandi asked hopefully.

The waitress shook her head. "If somebody found it, they'd usually hand it to me. Nobody has."

Jon and Brandi exchanged a worried glance. Jon paid for the meal in a daze. He used his own debit card while Brandi stood beside him, arms folded tightly across her chest as if she could somehow hold herself together by sheer force of will. She apologized to the waitress twice before they walked out into the warm afternoon sunlight.

The moment they reached the Rogue, Jon pulled out his phone. "Sit down," he said gently. "We'll start canceling everything."

Brandi nodded numbly and climbed into the passenger seat. By the time Jon reached the bank, she was crying quietly, wiping frustrated tears from her cheeks. "I can't believe I was so stupid."

"You weren't stupid," Jon said, on hold.

"I left my entire life sitting in a diner," Brandi scolded herself.

"Maybe." He kept his voice calm while navigating the automated menu. "Or maybe somebody was just looking for an easy opportunity."

The representative answered, and Jon carefully explained the situation. One by one, Brandi's debit and credit cards were frozen, canceled, and marked for replacement. The process seemed to take forever. They required account numbers, security questions, and repeated assurances that yes, the purse had almost certainly been stolen.

As Jon finished reading off the last security answer to the bank representative, he stepped away from the Rogue and began pacing across the parking lot, one hand pressed against his forehead. Every few steps he stopped, listened, answered another question, then resumed walking.

Trying to distract herself, Brandi wandered around to the passenger side and opened the rear door. She froze. "Jon?" He looked over from halfway across the lot, still holding the phone to his ear. Brandi was staring into the back seat. "My purse."

Jon frowned. "What the fuck?"

She leaned into the car, grasped the familiar leather handles, and slowly lifted the purse into view as though she expected it to vanish the moment it cleared the seat. For several long seconds, neither of them said a word.

"I..." Brandi blinked in disbelief. "It was here?"

Jon hurried back toward the Rogue, ending the call as quickly as he could.

"It was here." he repeated, staring at the purse in her hands.

She nodded numbly. "I swear it was sitting beside my foot while we were eating. I know it was." She looked back into the rear seat as if hoping for another explanation. "I don't understand."

Jon shook his head. "Maybe..." she said uncertainly, "...maybe I left it in the car after all."

Finally, Jon let out a long, weary sigh. "Well," he said, managing a tired smile, "I'm not exactly thrilled that we just canceled all your cards."

Brandi looked down at the purse, still trying to reconcile what she was seeing. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay." He slipped his phone into his pocket. "It's a pain, but they'll mail replacements. At least I've still got my debit card and my credit card. We're not stranded."

Brandi nodded absentmindedly, still trying to convince herself that she'd simply forgotten the purse in the car. Her fingers ttighteed around the leather straps. Leaving the purse in the car was the only explanation that made any sense.