Ms. Mary and the Day of Surprises

There was nothing greater than the sound of a whistle from a kettle to start the day. It was the first sound that Ms. Mary would wake up to every morning, along with her husband humming a song quietly downstairs. Ms. Marry was a simple woman both in spirit and fashion. She would wear the same color clothing every day and would follow the same daily routine. Today would be no exception. She went down to the kitchen where she made her cup of chai tea with two sugars. Then Ms. Mary thanked her husband for preparing the hot water before leaving for work.

Ms. Mary walked to the small café next door, Tiny Delights. Once inside, Ms. Mary got in line and waited for her turn to order. The café seemed unusually busy today, but she did not mind. Ms. Mary asked for her usual order of eggs and sausage on a croissant. She pulled out her three dollars and forty-five cents to give to the new employee at the register. To her surprise, the prices had changed and now her delightful breakfast was three dollars and sixty cents. No matter, Ms. Mary politely paid for her expensive meal and headed down to the bus station.

While sitting at the bus stop, she listened to a conversation between two females about a tv drama they had been watching. Ms. Mary had no interest in tv dramas. They sounded bizarre in her opinion, especially the one that these females would discuss every morning. Once the bus had arrived at the station, Ms. Mary walked over to her usual seat behind the driver. Today was full of surprises as she would soon find out. An older gentleman was sitting in her seat that morning. Ms. Mary smiled and then found another seat nearby. She was a little saddened by the fact that her usual seat was taken but no matter.

The bus took seven stops before finally reaching her destination. Ms. Mary stepped off the bus and headed to her job at a small library. It was not much but Ms. Mary was content working in this four-room building with its books categorized by reading level and genre. While she was sitting at the front desk, a young child and her mother rushed in apologizing profusely about a late book return. Ms. Mary smiled and sent them off with a kind warning. She remembered the time when she herself had been in their position.

During the day, her coworker Anna Farfield started to take inventory of the books. Ms. Mary found Anna to be a pleasant young girl, who was only working here until college resumed in the fall. Anna discovered that one of the books was left unaccounted for. Ms. Mary frowned and tried to recall where the book might have been. Her face felt warm after she realized that it was herself that had taken out the book. Apologizing to her coworker, Ms. Mary promised to bring it in the next day.

With a hearty laugh, Ms. Mary went about the rest of her work shift with no misfortune. She answered the phone when it rang in the morning. Then she helped young minds find an interesting book to read over their last week of summer break. Finally, Ms. Mary walked around the library and reshelved the books back to their proper places. She rather enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere that the library provided compared to a normal 8am to 4pm job like her parents. As she closed the library for the day, Ms. Mary felt a drop of rain touch her arm.

“Oh dear,” she thought after realizing that she had left the umbrella at home.

Ms. Mary frowned, and then she quickly turned off all the lights in the library before locking the front door. Ms. Mary rushed to the bus stop and got on the bus just as it started to pour. She realized how unlucky she had been that day. When the bus reached her stop, Ms. Mary dreaded the idea of walking home in the rain. She took a deep breath and then took a step off the bus. Then Ms. Mary’s face lit up with a smile. A familiar figure came into view holding an umbrella in his hand.

“I knew you might have left your umbrella at home. So, I kept an eye on the clock to come and get you.” Her life-long friend and lover said.

With a cheerful smile, Ms. Mary related her adventure to her husband as they walked home in the rain. Her husband was a writer and he had been home all day working on the latest installment of his book series, Nightfall. When they got home, Ms. Mary dropped her purse off on the table and then started to prepare dinner. After the nice meal, her husband washed the dishes while Ms. Mary dried and put them away. Then they would both decide on whether to play a board game or watch a movie. Afterward, they would both get ready for bed and talk to each other until falling asleep.

The very next morning, Ms. Mary awoke to the sound of a whistle from a kettle and her husband humming a song quietly downstairs. She stretched and then changed into another same-colored outfit. This time, Ms. Mary checked the weather forecast before joining her husband. Once she was in the kitchen, Ms. Mary set about making her usual cup of chai tea.

“Oh!” She exclaimed, staring down at the counter in shock.

Her husband looked up from his writing with concern.  

“What’s the matter, dear?” He asked, ready to spring into action at a moment’s notice.

Ms. Mary silently raised up the empty sugar bowl in defeat. She had forgotten to go to the grocery store yesterday. Ms. Mary shrugged and drank her chai tea without two sugars. Then Ms. Mary thanked her husband for preparing the hot water, before heading to the small cafe next door.