Elastic Ties

She closed the notebook and softly traced her fingers over the smooth surface of the black leather cover. Her focus drifted slightly to the left where Belinda’s closet was perfectly tidied with her tops organized by sleeve length. The shoes were pristinely paired and stacked up to the ceiling. On her right, Travis’ closet door was closed.

It had only been a couple of paragraphs, four at most. The writing was horrible. Grammar was off. And the cursive ran together like the tangled wires of Christmas lights - nearly impossible to tell where one word ended and the other began.

But the message was simple enough that it was impossible to mistake what the writer meant.

She glared back at the closet door on her right as if willing for it to open on its own.

The notebook suddenly felt heavy in her hand and she displaced it from her left to right and back again. It felt like that hot potato game that she and the kids played in her classroom.

Belinda’s makeup and perfume sat on the counter. Baccarat Rouge 540. She remembered the first time she’d smelled it on her friend. It was an approachable and familiar scent, which felt ironic for a woman who now seemed so mysterious. And every time Belinda had worn it since, she’d gotten complimented and questioned about the fragrance.

The bottle wasn’t all that impressive, she thought as she stared at the plain looking vessel, especially for a perfume she would never be able to afford for herself.

Then she felt something in her hand. A band. That’s right, it stretched across the side of the notebook. It had been that way when she found it. She pulled it over the back and across the front cover, securing them together again.

Again she looked at the closet on her right. Her knees tightened and she squeezed the notebook. Her feet twitched, and she felt herself begin to stand.

“I must have wanted it to get found,” a deep voice creeped from behind her.

Startled, she dropped the notebook on the floor and spun around. Travis stood in front of her with his hands in his pockets.

“Why else would I have left it in such a place that you could find it,” he asked rhetorically.

“I’m, I…uh…” no other words were coming to her. She didn’t want to speak first, but the idea of silence felt torturous.

He walked in front of her and slowly bent down to pick up the notebook. He examined it and then snapped the band holding it shut.

“Elastic,” he began to say while gazing at the band.

“Some items have the ability to resume their normal shape, even after being stretched or squeezed,” his eyes met hers as he reached into his pants pocket.

A cold breath caught in her chests, and for a moment she feared it might freeze her lungs.

He pulled out a key and sauntered over to a drawer on his side of the basin. He bent down and opened the drawer with the key. Placing the notebook inside, he shut the drawer and locked it again.

He stood straight and looked her in the eyes.

“But not everything has this ability, nor does every person, or every family,” he sighed.

In a moment his demeanor had changed, his head drooped down and his chest looked heavy.

She let out a breath.

Straightening a bit, he reached into his breast pocket. When he pulled out his hand, she noticed his fist was full and tight. She eyed the signet on his ring.

“I’m sure you understand the science. There shouldn’t be any need to discuss it further, do you agree?” He asked as he placed the wad of cash in her hand.

She opened her palm and looked down. There must have been several thousand dollars. All tightly rolled in rubber bands. It was flawless, and for some reason it felt weightless. Her fist closed.

She shook her head and faintly heard the click of his shoes as he walked out. The money slipped easily into her sweater pocket and she followed him out of the room.

The meal was the best she’d ever had - steak and lobster. Imported cheeses. Aged wine was poured without thought of expense. It was only Wednesday, and she’d have two more days at the school before she had any rest.

Once the table had been cleared by the servants and her coat had been retrieved, she gave Belinda a kiss on the cheek and hugged Travis goodbye.

In her car, she counted every last dollar - twenty thousand. She put it in her purse, rolled down her window, tossed the rubber bands into the flower bed, and drove off.