There I was, just tucked away in her jeans pocket.
The park was warm and sunny that day, I could feel it through the fabric as she lay there. That day my owner was doing stocktake at the bookstore. She love’s working there, among books. She loves books. Ever since starting at the shop she hasn’t bought a single book. The boss said from day one she could help herself, but only one at a time. She was lying there reading with me nestled with her, a weeny red cross on a tiny shield.
The fact is, her late uncle gave me to her all those years ago. “Blood’s important,” he had said. As a young girl she just stared at him wide-eyed. “No matter,” he had chortled, “it’ll bring you luck.” She often remembers how he leant very close to her ear and whispered in his old, raspy voice. “Keep it safe.” Since then I go with her everywhere.
Her midday break was nearly up. She carefully slipped in her bookmark. She would have a comfortable three-minute walk from the park to the high street. She rolled over lazily to get up, still lost in the story, still wondering how it would all work out.
That’s when it happened. That’s when I fell. I fell and just rested there in the grass, separated, on my own, lost.
The young man who passed at that very moment didn’t seem to see me at first. I glinted as much as I could! Then he spotted me.
He picked me up and looked around. He knows what it is. He gives blood. I am held, bouncing in his hand as he runs to catch up.
“Hello! Hello!” he calls.
She turns to see what he is holding out. She pats her pocket.
“Oh! Thank you so much. Where…?”
He looks back. “Just there. You must have…”
“Dropped it, yes, I must have.” She looked embarrassed “That’s kind of you.”
He went to move off, but turned back saying, “You give blood then?”
“Um, actually no.”
“No?”
“No.”
“You should.”
“Should I?”
“Sorry, I mean… not sure what I mean. I… I didn’t mean to be rude.”
She smiled. “That’s OK. Maybe you’re right. Maybe I should think about it.”
He hurriedly pulled out his mobile phone saying, “My next appointment at the local centre is…” he tapped for a while, then held the screen so she could read the time and date. “I’m only saying, if you wanted, we could meet there, I’m sure they could fit you in and, well, we could go for a coffee afterwards.”
She raised her eyebrows, laughed and parroted him, “… and we could go for a coffee afterwards.”
His face reddened and he turned away, saying, “No, of course I’m sorry. Look after that badge anyway. Blood’s important. Well, you know what I mean. It was nice meeting you. Bye.” With that he went to hurry off.
“Wait!” she shouted, much louder than she had intended.
He turned.
She brought out her phone and held it up, “Can you give me those details again?”
She tapped them in.
As she watched him walk away, she held me very tight in her hand. I could feel the dampness and the pounding pulse. It was very fast.
The old man said I would bring her luck.