Mum was going shopping for the day and Annabelle had been invited along. It would be a whole day trip and Mum’s friend, Mrs Pennington-Smythe was coming along. Annabelle liked Mrs Pennington-Smythe as she usually bought Annabelle a little treat.
At the breakfast table, Annabelle asked Mum why Mrs Pennington-Smyhte had two surnames and Mum said it was in case she lost one. This seemed logical, but Mum never answered when Annabelle asked if she could have a second surname.
Annabelle and her friends had been given a fun piece of homework, checking what ladies carried in her handbag. When Mrs Pennnigton-Smythe arrived at their house, Annabelle asked her if she would allow her to route through her handbag so that she could list the items that she carried around.
Mrs Pennington-Smythe went a light shade of pink.
“ I don’t mind at all, but you might want to throw away the half cheese sandwich I’ve been meaning to get rid of” she said.
Annabelle smiled as this was exactly the type pf thing all her friends were finding in ladies handbags. Rosie Leach claimed she had found a live canary in her neighbours handbag, but nobody rally believed her as she was quite naughty and a bit of a fibber.
The recent rain had only just stopped and there were large puddles everywhere.
“We will take some umbrellas” Announced Mum.
“All right dear, but don’t open them in the house!” Mrs Pennington-Smythe replied.
Mrs Pennington-Smythe was a lovely lady, but very superstitious. She carried with her, a horse shoe, a four leaf clover, a rabbit foot and a shamrock all for luck. She would never walk past a black cat, threw salt over her shoulder when she dropped it (Once hitting Bubbles the cat in the eye whilst doing this), and she would never take a number 13 bus.
The three ladies decided to walk into town and had an enjoyable chat, although Annabelle was told off for jumping in puddles and splattering her tights with muddy rain water.
As they approached the shops, a man was up a ladder painting a new sign at the bakers.
“ Now walk around the ladder! It’s bad luck to go underneath it” Mrs Pennington-Smythe said.
As they walked around the ladder, a car flew along the road at great speed.
All three saw it coming and pointed their umbrellas for cover. Mum and Annabelle managed to protect themselves, but Mrs Pennington-Smythe’s umbrella went inside out at exactly the wrong moment and she was completely drenched in spray.
Mum quickly rushed Mrs Pennington-Smyhte home and insisted that she have a shower.
“I don’t understand it” She wailed, “My lucky charms normally keep me safe from things like that.
Annabelle came up to Mum as Mrs Pennington-Smythe was in the shower.
“What shall I do with the half sandwich I took from Mrs Pennington-Smythe’s handbag Mum?” She asked
“Put it in the bin dear” Mum replied.
“ I found a Kentucky fried chicken bone as well so I took that out” Annabelle continued.
Mum found this slightly odd and looked where Annabelle was pointing.
That was no Kentucky fried chicken bone! It was Mrs Pennington-Smythe’s lucky rabbit foot.
Mum decided that it would be wise not to tell Mrs Pennington-Smythe that she had been splashed by a car when she didn’t have her lucky rabbit foot in the bag. She just slipped the rabbit foot back into the handbag and hoped that Annabelle wouldn’t ask any questions if she ever spotted it again.
© Chris White
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