Unexpected Treasure by Susan May (books suggested by elon musk txt) 📕

Lucinda tries to stuff paper towels into her shoes and around her wet feet.
‘Well, are you going to tell me what’s wrong?’ Lucinda asks. She needs to get this child back to her parents. Perhaps she can find out what school she goes to.
‘This is my treasure.’ Emma suddenly proclaims as she leans back and pulls something from her pocket. Beaming with pride she holds out a photograph, its edges curled with age.
Lucinda reaches for the picture. The paper it’s printed on is heavy and the image is poor and grainy. She’s reminded of the instamatic camera her parents gave her for her eleventh birthday. The picture is of a red-faced newborn, eyes squinted shut and mouth puckered. It’s swathed in a pale blue hospital blanket and at the bottom someone has scrawled Joanne, 6lb. 8 oz. The date has been scratched out.
Puzzled, Lucinda looks up, it can’t be her. Surely Emma’s baby photos are all crisp digital shots that are safely backed up on a number of discs and home computers.
‘It’s my baby sister’ she announces. ‘She was born last month.’
Lucinda doesn’t counter this, thinking it best to play along as Emma tells her all about her new sister and how her best friend is about to get a new baby brother.
‘Plus there’s a boy in my class who just got twin sisters!’ she says through slurps of hot chocolate.
Lucinda is about to press her further when there’s a loud knocking on the window. A blonde woman, her expression frantic, rushes through the door.
‘Emma! You mustn’t run off like that! I’ve been worried sick.’ The woman quickly assesses the situation, looking at Lucinda and the empty cups. Her face is ashen and her eyes are red rimmed as she thanks her and offers to pay for Emma’s drink. Then her eyes drop to the photograph and a flash of pain crosses her face.
‘Emma, what have I told you about telling porkies?’ she grabs her daughter’s hand. ‘Say good-bye to the nice lady. We have to go.’ Emma glares at her mother and reaches for the photograph.
‘No. You don’t need that, it’s gotten you into enough trouble already, I’ve spoken to the head teacher.’ As they head towards the door the woman turns back to Lucinda.
‘I bought her a puzzle in a charity shop last week. That picture was stuck to the bottom of the box, you wouldn’t believe the stories she’s been making up about it.’
Lucinda watches them leave and walk down the street. Once they’re out of sight she picks up the picture, stares at it for a moment and puts it in her handbag. The missed interview was no longer such a big deal. In fact her current job wasn’t so bad and the maternity pay was known to be quite generous. She sighed as she remembered how Ryan had recently suggested starting a family, dropping hints that she’d been too preoccupied to consider. Something shifted inside her, tugging at her heart.
As she made her way out onto the street Lucinda smiled and gripped her handbag. It held her

treasure now.

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Publication Date: 10-04-2010

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