Fortunate

The pandemic hit hard in the small Midwestern town where Veronica lived. The population was predominantly older, and the township was already struggling financially. Walmart had moved in and killed off most of the mom-and-pop shops. Add insult to injury; now Covid-19 was killing an already dying town. Most of the county lived below the poverty level, so when the governor decreed a shutting down of stores and restaurants, the financial strain fell down hard on the townspeople like a sucker punch right to the town’s already empty and aching stomachs.

Veronica was barely spared from losing her home and still was able to put food on the table. The governor decreed hotels to be essential businesses, so she was able to keep her job working the front desk; still, she had to work as a waitress to supplement her income and pay for luxuries like Netflix and Hulu. Since restaurants weren't considered essential, she had to cut back on what few extras allowed her. Veronica had to let frivolous spending fall to the wayside and focus on keeping a roof over her head. Veronica often worried about catching the virus and dying. She had heard of how hard the bigger cities had been hit by the virus and how people were being left to die in their homes, suffocating in complete isolation. Veronica knew she was one of the lucky ones, even if she didn't have as much money coming in these days. She was fortunate that she lived in a tiny town with a population of just 5,000 and that she still had her health.

The holidays were upon her, though, and she needed to figure out a way to earn more money so she could buy presents for her friends and family. She mostly wanted to make the holidays memorable for her grandfather and her boyfriend's little boy, who was just six years old. Miles was at an age where he still believed in magic. Veronica was always charmed by that innocence and felt it was her duty to deck the halls for him. She just needed to find a side hustle that would bring in enough money to cover Christmas's cost, but that wouldn't expose her to the deadly virus.

She had a cousin in town who owned a boutique. Though the town had very few resources, Valerie never wanted for patrons. Valerie was as unique and unusual as the items sold in her store; she was as much a draw as the store itself. Valerie was definitely a hippie and a free spirit. She was always trying to get Veronica to quit her job at the hotel and work for her. Veronica would never go for that, though. She needed job security, and it always seemed too risky to work in retail, especially now that most everything was closed due to the virus. But since she was strapped for cash, Veronica wouldn't mind helping her set up some stuff on her eBay account. She went to the boutique the following day to find it in absence of patrons. The silence of the once-bustling store was eerie.

Ever the optimistic soul, Valerie greeted her with open arms and a bright smile, putting Veronica at ease. Valerie informed her she had to close her doors per the governor's orders, but she was still making a killing selling online. She pointed Veronica toward some boxes she had purchased from an estate sale and wanted Veronica to tag and post their contents on her eBay account. Anything that Veronica thought would be of value would be inventoried and labeled. Valerie appreciated Veronica's discerning eye for photography and had given her the job taking pictures of the items and then posting them online. Valerie told her that what didn't sell, Veronica could have or sell on her own time. She was generous like that. Valerie got her set up in the cavernous store's backroom and then had to run home to check on her horses.

While going through some beautiful pieces of clothing, Veronica stumbled on a goldmine of designer labels. She thought to herself, "who in these parts would need designer clothes like Prada and Versace?" The townsfolk were mostly impoverished farmers who had no need or means for buying such finery. She knew there was a story there and couldn't wait for Valerie to return so she could pepper her with questions. Veronica worked hard for the next few hours unearthing the treasures Valerie had purchased.

Finally, Valerie returned. Veronica was so vested in her task that she didn't even notice Valerie had walked in. Veronica jumped in fright, and Valerie peeled with boisterous laughter. "It's so easy to scare you, girl." Veronica rolled her eyes at Valerie, "Yes, I know," Veronica said sarcastically. "Enough of this tomfoolery, though, Valerie. I have so many questions about where and when and from whom you got all this cool stuff?" Veronica noted there was at least thirty thousand dollars worth of designer duds she had tagged so far. Valerie, ever the mysterious individual, coyly said, "Wouldn't you like to know?" Veronica knew she wasn't going to get any information out of Valerie. Veronica appreciated Valerie's consummate ability to always keep secrets. And by the same token, Veronica knew to never pressure her to compromise that. However, Veronica's curiosity still burned bright.

As Veronica's shift was coming to an end, Valerie wanted to discuss Veronica's wages. "Do you want me to pay you an hourly wage, or do you want a percentage of the profits from what we sell on eBay?" Veronica wasn't sure how to proceed. On the one hand, the hourly wage was a sure thing. She could count on it. But, if the clothes sold, she could make a pretty decent chunk of change. But that was a risk, and Veronica didn't have the constitution for risk-taking. If the clothes didn't sell or took months to sell, Veronica wouldn't be able to raise enough money for Christmas. Veronica sighed, "I will take the hourly."

Valerie could see the haggard tiredness and sadness on her cousin's face and the worry lines forming on Veronica's furrowed brow. She decided to offer up a surprise as Veronica gathered her belongings to leave for the night. Valerie pointed to one of the boxes that had yet to be sorted through. "I want you to have that," Valerie said. Veronica stared at her in happy disbelief. "Seriously, Val? That's too generous a gesture. For all, you know, there are thousands of dollars worth of clothes in there." Valerie said laughingly, "For all, I know there are only rags in that box. Besides, it's the holidays. You could surely use a pick me up. I want to treat you, and after all 'tis the season, Veronica."

Veronica left Valerie's boutique as she often did with an added pep to her step. She thought surely that box would hold a treasure trove of beautiful clothes she could list on Poshmark or eBay. As soon as she got home, she went through the box only to be bitterly disappointed. The box was filled with old patchy mink throws and various fur coats that frankly made Veronica want to upchuck. One of the furs was clearly made out of fox and still had the poor creature's head attached to it. Veronica had opened a creepy tomb. A wave of frustration and utter sadness coursed through her body as she burst into tears. She allowed herself a few minutes to cry and then pulled herself out of her pity party. She reconciled herself to the fact that she would always be disappointed in this life over something or another, but that she would just have to soldier on. She looked over at the creepy furs and decided that she would list them anyway. There was a market for this stuff; some depraved weirdo would want to buy a vintage mink corpse somewhere.

She started to go through the coats and shawls more carefully. They reeked and Veronica began to sneeze and wheeze from the rank smell. By the time she got to the last item, she was exhausted and didn't want to continue; she wanted her day to be done. But she also didn't want to face these furs in the morning. This one, in particular, was even creepier than the rest. She couldn't even identify what type of fur it was made of. She thought to herself that it was probably rat fur for all she knew. Veronica tried to comb it out and make the garment appear more presentable for the photograph she was about to take. As she was doing so, she felt a lump protruding from the lining of the coat. Veronica gasped, and half thought it was the head of the animal to which the fur belonged. She really didn't want to face any more creepiness but was curious at the same time. Perhaps then she would be able to identify the type of fur, which would help her list the item.

Upon further inspection, whatever the mystery object was, it had been sewn into the coat's lining. It was definitely not the animal. It was pliable and box-shaped, something man-made. Veronica went into the kitchen to get some scissors to cut it out. Just as she had crossed the threshold of the kitchen, her cell phone started to ring. It was Valerie. She was calling to see what little treasures Veronica had unearthed from the box. Veronica would be remiss to say she was left disappointed by the furs. Valerie laughed at her and told her to keep her chin up. There was absolutely a market for those coats and shawls. Veronica just didn't understand that she, in fact, had unearthed a small fortune. Veronica felt less forlorn about the disappointment.

She had hung up with Valerie and remembered that she still needed to investigate the rat fur coat's mysterious contents. She plucked up the knife from the kitchen and walked over to the coat. She decided to not amp herself up too much since today was a day of let-downs. If she embraced the fact that this was probably nothing more than a trivial item, she wouldn't be so sore about it. She cut through the lining only to discover a little black notebook. How odd, she thought. She laughed out loud and bitterly at that. She didn't have the willpower to continue that night but decided to go to bed and list the final coat on eBay in the morning. Her sleep was restless, and her dreams were filled with ghoulish figures that kept chasing her. Veronica finally woke up in the early morning feeling even more fatigued than she did the previous day. She remembered she had to finish her eBay listings.

First, she made herself the essential cup of coffee and then walked over to the living room. The notebook caught her eye, so she decided to glance at it some more as she tried to wake up. Sipping on her coffee, she pondered over the life the artist must have had. The notebook was filled with beautiful sketches of landscapes and miniature portraits, and apparently, the artist was a woman by the name of Mildred Phillips. Veronica thought Mildred must have been the owner of the furs but Veronica thought how strange that Mildred had sown away such beautiful drawings. Veronica poured over that notebook and delightfully discovered a letter had been written in the very back detailing how Mildred had sown money into the lining of all her coats; 20,000 dollars worth. Veronica burst into tears, but this time they were tears of happiness and relief.