‘Oh how right you are,’ Lila laughed, a smile finding its way onto her face. ‘Anyway, holiday-related stress goes with the territory, and I’m fine really. Where do you work?’ she asked.
‘The Secret Closet, off Bleecker. It’s why I’m here, actually. I’m hoping you might be able to help me.’
Lila nodded. ‘Sure, I know that store. I can’t afford to shop there most days, though. What can I do for you?’
‘Most days I can’t afford to shop there either,’ laughed Holly. She pulled out the shipping document from the box in which she had discovered the charm bracelet. ‘Well, yesterday morning we received a shipment at the store, three boxes in total. This is the reference.’ She handed the document across the counter. ‘The problem is, when we opened up one of the boxes, we found a bracelet inside a jacket that had been sent to us for resale. But there’s nothing on there about the sender.’ She pulled the charm bracelet out to show her. ‘And I know this is valuable, I’m sure someone is missing it.’
Lila leaned in closer to take a look at the bracelet. ‘That’s really pretty, look at all those charms. Let me see what I can do. Usually we do have sender information, but it’s weird nothing was on the label.’
She started typing on her computer, entering the UPS tracking reference to pull up the file. She pressed ‘Enter’ on her keyboard, and a moment later a crease appeared on her forehead. ‘Huh,’ she said. ‘That’s odd.’
Holly cocked her head. ‘Is there a problem?’
‘I’m not sure really,’ Lila said, frowning. Then she shook her head. ‘See, there is a tracking number associated with the shipment that came to us, but here’s the problem. We reuse tracking numbers, especially this time of year. So there is no information about origination for the other tracking number associated with the boxes, because corporate already put the tracking number back into the system. When I run that number, the one that is associated with it being delivered here, it shows that there is a package currently using it, and it’s in transit … to Boise, Idaho.’
Holly made a face. ‘So you can’t tell me where our delivery came from?’
Lila shook her head. ‘I’m sorry. It’s our policy to reuse these tracking numbers … the older tracking information might be saved, but I have to call corporate. Problem is I’m on my own today so it might be a while.’ She looked at the long line behind Holly.
‘Of course, I understand.’ Holly reached back into her handbag. ‘Here’s my card. If you do find anything out, I can be reached at those numbers.’
‘Thanks. I’ll do that. It’s not a problem at all.’ Lila smiled. ‘It’s nice that you are trying to find out who that bracelet belongs to. Many people might not bother. Good to know there are still nice people out there.’
‘Thank you, but it’s the least I can do.’ Holly picked up the charm bracelet and looked at it again. ‘‘I know it has lived a good life, I just need to help it find its way home.’ Smiling at Lila, she placed it solemnly in an inner pocket of her handbag. ‘Thanks again.’
‘You’re welcome. And I’ll be in touch as soon as I can.’
‘Great,’ Holly said as she turned to leave. She’d taken a couple of steps towards the door when Lila called out to her. The customer who had been behind her in line had already moved to where she had stood just seconds before.
‘Oh … Miss?’
‘Yes?’
‘Well, it’s just that, this might sound silly, but my mom always told me that if you lose something, you should retrace your steps … try and remember what you had been doing before you realised you were missing it. Maybe that’s what you should do.’
‘But I’m not lost,’ Holly replied, puzzled. ‘The bracelet is.’
Lila smiled. ‘I know, but maybe if you worked out where it’s been, you might learn where it’s supposed to be? Just a thought.’
Holly felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up.
The girl was right.
She thought about the individual charms on her own bracelet. Each one had a story behind it, and held special significance. Maybe if she learned more about the charms on the other bracelet and what they signified, it would help lead her to the person who had lost it?
After all, Holly thought, looking again at her beloved bracelet, the charms on this illustrated a direct path through her life, didn’t they?
8
City University of New York, Manhattan, 1997
‘I honestly don’t knowhow I am ever going to get all of this done, seriously, Warner is such a creep, it’s like he gets a kick out of punishing his students,’ whined Holly as she ran her hands through her frizzy auburn hair. ‘And this hair, I need to do something about it.’
She looked at the books spread out around her on the library table, a veritable Mount Everest of college textbooks, and sighed. ‘Above all, I need to get a life.’
Her roommate, Laura, looked up from her own stack of work and smiled. ‘I concur.’
They both laughed. ‘Maybe that will happen after this semester. This psych class is killing me.’
