"Sandy! Phone for you!" Momma Lois called from the base of the staircase.
Despite loud urging from Momma Lois's CD, Sandy heard her guardian calling from below.
The teenager was a little apprehensive about answering the call that Monday evening. She hardly received phone calls at home. Most of the time, they had been calls that she did not want. It had usually been bad news, like that time in middle school when the teacher had called to tell her that the field trip that Sandy had been looking forward to had been canceled. Or the time when the dentist's receptionist had called her, instead of Momma Lois, and had reminded her of her annual dental checkup.
Maybe it was Selina checking up on her. If so, it would not be so bad.
Sandy hurried downstairs lest she be chided for wasting Momma Lois's time. She collected the portable handset from her guardian. "Hello?" she spoke anxiously into the phone.
"Hey, Sandy. How are you?" was the cheerful greeting.
There was no need for introduction. Sandy knew that voice. "Connie?"
"Yeah, it's me."
It was Connie! She had not spoken to her for like ages and then the glamor queen was calling her, at home!
"Oh, um, hi. I'm fine," Sandy managed.
"Are you free to talk?" There was some background noise, which sounded like an engine's hum. Perhaps Connie was calling from a moving vehicle.
"Just a moment." Sandy took the phone to her room for some privacy. Ditz was watching television in the living room so she had the room to herself.
Within her room, the textbooks and assignments on the desk failed to capture Sandy's attention. However, the CD player was much more assertive. "SANDRA GOULD, GO DO YOUR HOMEWORK!"
Sandy still had Momma Lois's CD on. Oops.
"What was that?" Connie asked over the phone. Apparently, she had heard Momma Lois's recorded voice.
Sandy quickly moved to shut the CD player off. "Oh, um, it's... it's nothing," she told Connie, "So, what did you want to talk about?"
"Well, it's the spring break and all, and I thought we should hang out or something."
"Really? Today?"
"Nah, it's already late today. Maybe tomorrow, we can meet up in the city," Connie suggested.
If asked a couple of months ago, Sandy would have immediately jumped at the chance to hang out with the glamor queen. "Oh, uh, I've got things to do. I can't be away for too long."
Truth was, Sandy did not want to go too far from home. Selina had advised her to stick close to home where she would be safe. The city, with crowds of strangers everywhere, would be a wonderful place for kidnappers to hide until they were close enough to grab Sandy.
"Oh, come on," Connie persuaded sweetly, "It'll be fun. We could shop for clothes, eat ice cream..."
"Yeah, sounds fun. But I've a lot of homework and chores to do. Maybe we can meet someplace close..."
"Do you have a place in mind?" Connie asked.
"Well, there's this park near my house..."
"Oh, I see..." There was a moment of silence. Then Connie continued, "Any place where we can maybe get some ice cream?"
"There's a small takeout just at the corner of the park." Sandy remembered that store. When she was small, every time Momma Lois took her to the park to play, she would pester the adult for some treats from that takeout. "We can get ice cream and other snacks there."
"Perfect. So let's meet in the evening."
"Connie, I've someone to look after." Ditz, who else? "Can she come along?"
"Oh, I was hoping to meet you alone."
"I see. Okay, I'll come alone," Sandy agreed.
After arranging the details, Sandy hung up. As a precaution, she noted down the details on a piece of paper, lest she forget. It would be terribly embarrassing to forget. Especially since she had forgotten to ask for Connie's number.
Sandy wondered why Connie wanted to meet with her. Maybe she had a rich gift!
Before she could forget, Sandy called Selina. Yeah, reporting her every activity was a hassle and it intruded on her privacy but her safety was most important before the day she received her inheritance.
***
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