A FEW DAYS LATER
Laura Allen rummaged through her garage, getting ready for the garage sale she and her husband were planning. Between two of the boxes, something on the floor caught her eye.
The stone, while not remarkable, almost seemed to sparkle. She picked it up and admired its unique appearance. But she soon remembered the huge amount of work ahead of her. Sighing, she said "I wish this stuff was organized and ready to be sold. This is going to take forever." In no time, all of the boxes were neatly stacked, labelled, and priced.
"What the..." she looked at the stone in her hand. It couldn't be... She set it down and said, "I wish I was 10 pounds lighter." Nothing happened. She picked up the stone again and said, "I wish my fingernails were freshly manicured." In an instant her nails smoothed out and took on a coat of pale rose paint. Laura was dumbfounded.
After a few enhancements to her figure and wardrobe (but nothing too drastic) Laura finally put the stone down and went to the kitchen. As she put the teapot on the stove, she looked out the window into the backyard of her neighbors, the Parkers. She saw a woman working in the garden. That must be Sherry's twin sister, Jerri. Laura remembered that Jerri had moved in not long after Sherry's husband had left her, just a few months ago. Maybe I should get to know her.
Laura went into her own back yard and walked up to the short chain-link fence and introduced herself. "You must be Sherry's sister, Jerri. I'm Laura Allen."
Jerri stood up and greeted the woman. "Nice to meet you," Jerri said. Laura was amazed at how alike the two women looked. They were practically identical.
"Say, would you like to come in for some tea?" Laura asked, "I just put a pot on."
"I'd love to," Jerri replied. "But let me clean up first. I'm sure I look dreadful." Jerri excused herself and after awhile returned to Laura's house wearing a light sundress and a touch of makeup. The two sat at the kitchen table and began to chat.
"...So what do you think of that niece of yours?" Laura asked. "What's her name?"
"Zoe," Jerri replied. "She's quite a rebel. But just remember how us girls dressed when we were her age." The two ladies chuckled at the though, and Jerri mentioned her own parents' reaction when she and her sister started wearing mini skirts.
"Still though," Laura said, "All of that dark makeup and those fishnet pantyhose. If I had a daughter like that, I'd never be able to handle it."
"I know, I know," Jerri replied. "I think she's just acting out some aggression she's been feeling since her father left. Divorce is a tough thing for a teenager to take. Sher has been pretty depressed lately too."
"I can imagine. Why, I was talking to her yesterday. I didn't even mention Richard, but when I said your name it seemed like she was about to burst into tears."
Jerri found that statement kind of odd, and stirred some strange feelings in herself, but she ignored them. "Well, I think maybe she should try dating again. I've tried taking her out, but for some reason she just doesn't want to go looking for a man with me."
"Well, maybe I could help," Laura said. She got up from the table and started looking through her purse. "Here." She pulled out a small, but beautiful looking stone. Jerri looked at it, and it looked strangely familiar to her, but she couldn't put her finger on it.
