Let’s face it; Alice was ever so slightly overweight. Her husband didn’t seem to mind, but it worried Alice. No matter what I do – she said – I can’t seem to lose weight.
The reality was that whenever Alice bought groceries she would also buy a big spicy chicken leg or a cheese burger or a sausage in a bun dripping with wonderful butter, and all from the delicatessen at the supermarket. It was something to eat in the car on the way home. Of course, Alice always tossed the wrapping out the car window. She wasn’t going to let her husband know she had squandered $2.70 on a fatty luxury.
On this day, Alice bought a wonderful soft cheese wrapped in a chicken schnitzel and fried coated with buttery bread crumbs. It was in a black polystyrene container with a plastic film wrapping. Alice devoured the schnitzel in the car. Delicious! She left the wrapping sitting on the passenger seat next to her. There was too much traffic for her to toss the wrapping out the window. She might get caught littering.
Once she was out of the traffic, Alice reached over, grabbed the schnitzel wrapping, and dropped it nonchalantly out the window.
When she arrived back home the wrapping was still on the seat. It must have blown back inside.
For weeks after that, Alice wondered… Where had she mislaid her purse?