Trusting Certainty In Old People

Faux Ma, whispering: Meredith, see this silver chest?

She points to a wooden box on a shelf in her new laundry room closet.

Meredith: Yeah?

Faux Ma: There was another one just like it, only a double size. It had Helga's silver in it. Did you see it during the packing?

Meredith: No.

Faux Ma: It was on the pile of all the boxes with "X"s on them - the ones to be carried in a car.

Meredith: We put all of those boxes in my car, but I didn't see a silver chest on the pile.

Faux Ma: Are you sure? I know I put it on that pile.

Meredith: It wasn't in my car. Maybe Boyfriend put it in his car. We haven't unpacked that one yet.

Pause. Faux Ma doesn't want to confront Boyfriend on the subject. Boyfriend enters from garage.

Faux Ma: Boyfriend, did you see a silver chest like this one, only double size, when you were packing the cars this morning?

Boyfriend: No.

Faux Ma: I know I put it in the pile to be packed in the cars. It was 4:00 in the morning. I remember putting it on that pile of boxes.

Meredith and Boyfriend make suggestions. Maybe she put it in a cardboard box. Maybe it's in her own car that remains at the old house for the time being.

Faux Ma: No. I didn't put it in a box and the car is filled with file drawers.

Meredith and Boyfriend: We didn't move a double silver chest from that pile. There was no silver chest on that pile of boxes.

Faux Ma gets a worried look on her face.

Meredith: It's here. If it was packed, it's here. It will just take a while to find it in all the clutter.

Faux Ma: OK. Thank you.

Faux Ma remains worried and preoccupied.

Faux Ma: I wonder what happened to it.

Meredith: Do you need the silver this week?

Faux Ma: No.

Meredith: You'll find it before the end of the week.

Faux Ma was probably thinking Boyfriend or Meredith were careless and didn't handle the chest properly and it got mixed up with the boxes for the movers. If the movers saw it, they probably stole it.

Faux Ma: It really wasn't too valuable. It wasn't sterling, just silverplate. But it was old.

Meredith: It will turn up, I promise. Unless you threw it out, you will find it.

Faux Ma: OK. Thank you.

Pause.

Faux Ma: I know I put it on that pile for you to take in the car.

Meredith: It will show up!

Later Meredith, Boyfriend, Faux Ma, and Faux Pa went back to the old house to gather the remaining items and to clean up a little.

Faux Ma: Meredith, look!

Faux Ma presents in her arms a double silver chest.

Meredith: Where was it?

Faux Ma: In the bathtub.

Meredith: I knew it would show up.