She is joined by her sister, forty-three-year-old Cheri Denton. Cheri looked around and said in a low voice, “This is crazy, Morgan, we can’t kidnap her.”
Morgan pulled her sister aside, away from the crowd. “What do you mean? Her husband and daughter are away, it will be so easy.”
“Morgan, this is stupid! Did you ever hear the saying ‘fat people are never kidnapped’? This is ridiculous. I can’t believe we are even discussing this.”
“She is not fat, Cheri, for crying out loud.”
Cheri stared at Morgan in shock. “She’s morbidly obese.”
Morgan groaned in frustration. “Even easier. We’ll need to hang out with her here and not let her out of our sight.”
“So, Morgan, how does this work? Were you thinking that we just go over there and whisper in her ear ‘we’re kidnapping you’?”
“Shhhh! Cheri! Keep your voice down! For all we know, some other vultures are circling around her.”
“Oh, you mean like the kids, circling her ‘til she gives them money? Poor woman. She has no clue that they don’t give a damn about her.”
Morgan looked across the room at the heavy-set woman dressed in a tight silver gown. A group of teenage boys were gathered around the woman waiting for her to give them money, as she often did. She searched through her large black handbag and withdrew a shiny silver purse. The boys’ eyes were focused on the purse. She handed one of them a five-dollar bill.
“I wish those kids would get lost and let us get on with our work!” whispered Morgan.
“Where is Aunt Mabel going?” asked Cheri.
Very deliberately, Mabel rose from her seat and causally placed her right manicured hand on her ample hip. She briefly chatted with some of the other women seated near her and swished toward the doorway, constantly aware of the eyes on her.
“Probably to the toilet.”
“I’m going to follow her, Morgan, but if I don’t like what I see, I’m out.”
“You can’t be out. This was your idea!”
“I was drunk, Morgan. I wasn’t seriously saying that we need to win the lotto or kidnap Aunt Mabel.”
“You wouldn’t have said it if you didn’t think it!”
“We have mocked, belittled, and bullied that woman for years. We’ve joked about the way she walks, talks, and smells. Isn’t that enough, Morgan?”
“So what, Cheri. Besides, she’s rich. She doesn’t really care what we think. Look at this as our pension plan.”
“I would rather be poor than be stuck in a prison cell.”
“It’s a million each, Cheri. She’s loaded. That would be loose change to her. That’s why this is such a great idea. You should be pleased with yourself!”
They watched as Mabel slowly swayed her way toward the doorway.
“Here, hold this.” Cheri handed her mineral water to Morgan.
A few minutes later Cheri returned. Morgan gave Cheri back her drink. “What kept you?”
“We can’t do this. She’s one of the wealthiest people in town. She’s famous.”
The sisters looked toward the entrance of the ballroom. Mabel re-entered, fanning her flushed face, switching into performance mode as she mingled. She helped herself to a martini from the waiter’s silver platter, as he passed by.
“I would rather be poor than be stuck in a prison cell.”
“It’s a million each, Cheri. She’s loaded. That would be loose change to her. That’s why this is such a great idea. You should be pleased with yourself!”
They watched as Mabel slowly swayed her way toward the doorway.
“Here, hold this.” Cheri handed her mineral water to Morgan.
A few minutes later Cheri returned. Morgan gave Cheri back her drink. “What kept you?”
“We can’t do this. She’s one of the wealthiest people in town. She’s famous.”
The sisters looked toward the entrance of the ballroom. Mabel re-entered, fanning her flushed face, switching into performance mode as she mingled. She helped herself to a martini from the waiter’s silver platter, as he passed by.
“Morgan, she was talking to the caretaker. She was complaining that cars couldn’t get into the graveyard. I heard her going on about how her gown was made to be seen in, not to be walked in.”
Morgan gave a sinister laugh, causing a classic spit-take with her drink.
“It’s not funny. She has a lot of power and money to control things.”
“Listen, Cheri, here’s what we’ll do...”
“No, Morgan, here’s what we will do. We’ll leave her alone.”
“Oh c’mon, nobody here gives a crap about her. Everyone wants a portion of her wealth. We should do it before someone else does. Ron, her son, will pay up. Her bratty daughter will make sure that he does.”
“Let me remind you, her penthouse has a private elevator. It will be impossible to get to her.”
“Dammit, Cheri, must you see the negative in everything? She’ll be alone in that apartment. We’ll think of something to get her out of there. Maybe we can tell her there’s a fire and she should come with us. We can have her take the fire escape…even better!”
“No way am I doing this, Morgan. It’s too aggressive. I really don’t want to hurt her. if we do anything, it should be from here…now.”
“Okay, Cheri. We’ll go over, you talk to her, and I’ll take her bag.”
“So…you just walk up to her and say, ‘Hello, Mabel’, and place your hand on her handbag and take it? I know if I were her and saw the two of us coming, I’d grasp my bag as tightly as possible.”
“She’s as blind as a bat, so she won’t see a thing. We’ll just give her a big hug to distract her.”
Cheri nodded in disgust, watching as the waiter placed a bottle of sparkling water in front of Mabel.
“It’ll be easy. We’ll tell her someone wants her autograph and give her compliments as we walk her out the door. She’ll fall for it. She’s remarkably stupid, Cheri.”
“Then what, Morgan?”
“Dammit, Cheri, must you see the negative in everything? She’ll be alone in that apartment. We’ll think of something to get her out of there. Maybe we can tell her there’s a fire and she should come with us. We can have her take the fire escape…even better!”
“No way am I doing this, Morgan. It’s too aggressive. I really don’t want to hurt her. if we do anything, it should be from here…now.”
“Okay, Cheri. We’ll go over, you talk to her, and I’ll take her bag.”
“So…you just walk up to her and say, ‘Hello, Mabel’, and place your hand on her handbag and take it? I know if I were her and saw the two of us coming, I’d grasp my bag as tightly as possible.”
“She’s as blind as a bat, so she won’t see a thing. We’ll just give her a big hug to distract her.”
Cheri nodded in disgust, watching as the waiter placed a bottle of sparkling water in front of Mabel.
“It’ll be easy. We’ll tell her someone wants her autograph and give her compliments as we walk her out the door. She’ll fall for it. She’s remarkably stupid, Cheri.”
“Then what, Morgan?”
“We drive her to her house, take all her jewelry, and then bring her with us. There will never be a better opportunity. Think about it that way.”
“The way I’m thinking about it, Morgan, is wondering if the jail term is worth it!”
“Stop being so negative. Ask yourself, where are her hangers-on? I don’t see any here. How do we know they aren’t ransacking her fancy penthouse right now?”
“I’m being realistic. She’s a successful actress and businesswoman. People like her have security measures that we don’t even know about.”
“We’re not taking the money out of her bank, Cheri. We’re taking it from her directly. She moves like a sloth, so there’s no way she’ll contact her bank. Trust me, when we make the demand, her kids will pay!”
“How do we know that she doesn’t have security around her. They’re very good at blending in these days.
“Who knows, Cheri, she’s a businesswoman, she might just hand us the money.”
“The way I’m thinking about it, Morgan, is wondering if the jail term is worth it!”
“Stop being so negative. Ask yourself, where are her hangers-on? I don’t see any here. How do we know they aren’t ransacking her fancy penthouse right now?”
“I’m being realistic. She’s a successful actress and businesswoman. People like her have security measures that we don’t even know about.”
“We’re not taking the money out of her bank, Cheri. We’re taking it from her directly. She moves like a sloth, so there’s no way she’ll contact her bank. Trust me, when we make the demand, her kids will pay!”
“How do we know that she doesn’t have security around her. They’re very good at blending in these days.
“Who knows, Cheri, she’s a businesswoman, she might just hand us the money.”
A crowd started to gather around the large table.
“C’mon Cheri, now is our chance.” Morgan began a brisk walk toward Mabel, whose nose was a few inches from her cell phone as she read a text message.
“Wait up, Morgan.”
The message was from Mabel’s son Ron. Suddenly, Mabel felt a tight double hug around her, constricting her breathing.
“Oh, Aunt Mabel, it’s so great to see you! We know you’re so much in demand,” squealed Cheri, as Morgan searched Mabel’s handbag. Cheri continued, “It was such a great premiere! And you were marvelous, darling!” The sisters continued their boa-like grasp on Mabel.
Morgan rubbed her back over and back with her right hand while her left hand searched into Mabel’s handbag “It was such a great premiere! And Aunt Mabel, you were marvelous darling!”
Mabel’s throat began to tighten, and she struggled to draw a breath. She felt like she was suffocating.
“We are here for you, Aunt Mabel, I know you didn’t always see eye-to-eye with Morgan and me, but that’s going to change now. Isn’t that right, Morgan?”
“Yes, it is,” said Morgan, as she firmly snatched the car keys from Mabel’s purse.
“I can’t breathe,” gasped Mabel. “I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe.” She felt herself getting light-headed. Cheri looked at Morgan, who gave her a nod to release Mabel.
Mabel’s face turned bright red. She fumbled through her bag, where she found her inhaler. She took a big puff and then began coughing. She gulped water from her glass and shrieked, “What are you trying to do, give me an asthma attack?”
“We know what you mean to so many people,” said Morgan.
Mabel fanned her hot face with her hand. “You know as well as I do that the people that surround me are paid to like me.”
Mabel turned around to face the sisters. “Ladies, what do you want from me?”
“We don’t want anything, Aunt Mabel, Cheri and I just want to be with you during this exciting time!”
“If you want money, you won’t get a penny from me, not a penny. Now get out of my face.”
“Ah c’mon, don’t be like that, let us sit with you and keep you company.”
The sisters sat on either side of Mabel.
“I didn’t get where I am today by having people make a fool of me. If you both think you can come over here, suffocate me and mock me, you have another thing coming.”
“Let go of my hand. Any second now my son will be walking in here to get me.”
Cheri slowly looked at Morgan, whose jaw dropped.
“But he’s on business trip in Chicago!”
“Ron adjusted his plans to come be with me. His flight was delayed, but he just sent me a message saying he’s on his way.”
Both ladies were speechless as Ron walked into the room.
Mabel turned to Morgan. “So, Morgan, are you going to return my penthouse keys or am I going to have to call security?”
No comments:
Post a Comment