99 word prompt: not all is lost


If you want to participate, here’s the link:  https://carrotranch.com/2018/06/22/june-21-flash-fiction-challenge/


My mind in fog, the car wandered through a mall parking lot the day after New Year’s.  A few empty spaces waited near an expensive store and I walked past a perfume counter with one goal. 

I needed a black dress.

Passing the cosmetics counter, I heard wailing.  No one scrambling to call 911, no sirens, just 2 high school girls consoling their friend over a broken nail.

I laughed at the irony. Should I tell the 3 Stooges, “Not all is lost?” 

No. It was the first time I’d felt like smiling since my husband had passed away.