«A grown woman?» «Fine, let’s see.» «I’m curious too.» «Especially since there’s no return address.»
«Mom, what if it’s from a villain? I saw it in a movie.» Her son declared confidently. «Where were you allowed to watch those movies?» Christina countered, removing the wrapping.
«I definitely didn’t show them to you.» «At the boys’ in school,» Max blushed. «Mom, come on.» «Why are you so slow? No, I’ll do it myself.»
She cut him off for some reason. Finally, she removed the top layer of packaging. Under it was a fairly large box.
Veronica Davis was practically dancing with impatience next to her. Christina even felt awkward. She opened the box and looked inside.
There was an old, very worn toy. A brown plush bear with a naive face and bead eyes. Clearly not new.
«Mom, what’s that?» Max stuck his nose in. «Hey, why does Dad need a toy?» «Oh, I’d like to know that,» Christina smiled. «Maybe they mixed up the address and it’s not Dad’s package at all.»
«Someone got the wrong address.» «No,» Veronica Davis swayed, and her smile faded. «That’s our little bear.»
«It really disappeared many years ago.» «Oh, I feel so bad.» «Christina, give me some water.»
Her mother-in-law staggered and nearly fell. They barely caught her. Veronica Davis was pale.
Her hands shook, and her teeth chattered against the glass of water her grandson brought. «What’s wrong?» Christina was amazed. «Is it the bear?» «This is no ordinary toy,» the elderly woman clutched her heart. «Alex never parted with it.»
«He slept with it, ate with it, and then the bear suddenly disappeared.» «In one day.» «We thought we lost it on a walk, but…» «Who needed to dig up the past?» «Yeah, unclear,» Christina sighed.
«Well, we’ll ask Alex.» «He should know from the sender.» «Mom, can I take the bear?» Max didn’t leave the package.
«No way, buddy,» Christina replied. «There could be anything in there.» «So don’t just grab something sent without a return address.»
«But it’s so unusual,» her son said cheerfully. «And they sent it to us, so we can play.» «What if it’s treated with something?» «We’re not spies,» her son laughed.
«Look, Whiskers is rubbing against the toy, and nothing.» Their family pet, a fluffy Maine Coon, was indeed trying to gnaw off the sent bear’s paw. Christina took the toy from the cat.
Whiskers meowed offendedly and gave her a stern look. Then he ran to his treasures in his bed. Max triumphantly grabbed the bear and rushed to his room with it.
Christina stood there, puzzled, looking at the packaging. She searched the whole box. No identifying marks.
The labels looked strange too. And her mother-in-law kept trying to faint. Had to give her medicine and put her to bed.
Soon Veronica Davis fell asleep on the living room couch. Christina lay down too. The day had been hectic.
When she woke up, it was morning. No trace of her mother-in-law. «What a mess,» she sighed.
«Why is my husband’s mother acting like this?» «Will she pick up Max today?» «I have a shift.» «Mom, who are you talking to?» Max yelled and burst into the parents’ bedroom. «See, I slept with him and nothing happened.»
He shook the bear. «Where’s Grandma?» «I’d like to know that,» Christina said thoughtfully. «Just in case, take the apartment key.»
«You might have to ask Tim’s or Josh’s mom to take you if Grandma doesn’t show.» «Okay,» her son nodded. «You’re on shift today?» «Yes, my good boy, we’re short-staffed at the station.»
She nodded. «So that’s the schedule for now.» «Why can’t you stay home?» «All my friends’ moms do.»
He looked at her curiously. «I like working,» she simply replied. «You know, when you help someone or even save a life, you realize it’s all worth it.»
She walked her son to school and called her husband. He didn’t answer. His phone was off.
Then Christina called his secretary. But the office said Vicky was on the trip with the boss. Christina stared at the phone as if it spoke Chinese.
Why does a secretary need to be at a production site for setup? But she didn’t pursue it. Decided the sent bear was someone’s joke. And she was used to the trips anyway.
She decided to wait for explanations until her husband came home. No matter their relationship, they’d have to talk eventually. With those thoughts, Christina went to work.
She took over the shift and headed to the first call. Driver Michael Sanders grumbled about traffic. Nurse Dennis or Dan, as everyone called him, was buried in his phone as usual.
They drove for twenty minutes. Spent some time at the gated community’s checkpoint. Finally, they were let in.
«Why can’t these rich folks afford private ambulance?» Michael Sanders muttered. «We’re wasting time while people wait for calls elsewhere.» «But patients here are the same.»
Christina cut off his rant. «Enough, Sanders.» «We’ll listen to your mumbling all shift.»..
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