Lisa sat listlessly behind the wheel of her car thinking over her day, trying to recall whether she had put on the pendant before she left for the office or if she had taken it off any time today. She knew she was still wearing it yesterday, remembering Brad playing with it around her neck and commenting on it while they had their tryst.

Lisa sat listlessly behind the wheel of her car thinking over her day, trying to recall whether she had put on the pendant before she left for the office or if she had taken it off any time today. She knew she was still wearing it yesterday, remembering Brad playing with it around her neck and commenting on it while they had their tryst.

A cold sweat suddenly washed over Lisa, what if she had lost it at the motel? If she had, she's never going to get it back. She couldn't recall if she still had it last night, she had to rush to get home, she knew Dan would get home on time and it was her turn to pick up dinner. By the time the kids were in bed she was too exhausted to do anything else but fall into bed herself and sleep. She had to go and check. Finally with purpose, she inserted the car keys, turned over the engine and was on her way to the Paradise Motel.

It took Lisa less than five minutes to speak with the motel manager and it's no surprise they didn't find anything. Lisa considered calling Brad to ask him if he had seen the pendant but he hadn't read any of her text messages today asking him if he had seen it. Left with no other recourse, she sent Brad another text before heading home. All she could do now was to try and hide the fact that it's gone until she could either find it or figure some way out of it.

Brad sat next to his wife and let the diamond pendant drop from his hand and let it dangle between his fingers.

Sarah reached out and took the pendant to examine it. "What a rock," she said looking closely at it. "Too bad, it isn't real."

"I know, right?" Brad said.

"Where'd you get it?" Sarah asked.

"From that bimbo at the office," Brad said.

Sarah crooked an eyebrow. "You're still working her?"

"Well," Brad oiled, "I got her husband's schedule and dealings more or less down pat but there are still the odd changes here and there," he said. "Besides, she's good exercise."

Sarah snorted. "Right. Careful with that one though. She's her own brand of crazy."

"What do you mean?" Brad asked.

"Scheming, prideful women like that with extreme aversion to exposure of their true selves usually can't handle the consequences of their own actions, they turn rabid when pushed into a corner," Sarah said handing the pendant back to Brad. "Why did you take it if you knew it's fake."

"Just toying with her a bit and see what she does," Brad said and turned his wrist in a slight of hand move and presented his empty hand like he's a stage magician. "Besides, I find it fascinating that Daniel would give her this when he could afford the real deal."

"I was just thinking that as well," Sarah said. "Thinks he knows something?"

Brad thought for a second or two, "Proficient liar, that one, she knows how to cover her tracks. But ... then again, she's prone to panic."

"Cut her loose," Sarah said. "You've got enough intel on the husband to finish your end of the job for now. You've had your fun, she's not worth botching the job."

"I guess you're right," Brad said. "Well, it was fun while it lasted." His cellphone pinged. He picked up from the coffee table and saw that it was a text message, the eighth, from Lisa. "It's from her," Brad rolled his wrist and turned his close fist, opened it to reveal the fake diamond pendant, "in search of this, no doubt."

"Cut her loose," Sarah said flatly, with finality.

"I intend to, she's losing her luster anyway," Brad said, "not so shiny and new."

Sarah chortled.

#

Lisa got home a few minutes before the appointed time with the sitter. "Thanks, Linda." Lisa said to the sitter. "How's everything?"

"Melissa and Teddy are great today," Linda said, "they are playing in their room. I gave them their usual afternoon snack a little later today, since they wanted to play outside a little longer. I'd let them since it's a nice day out."

"That's great, they'll sleep well tonight," Lisa said with a practiced smile she had reserved for acquaintances and guests, as she walked the sitter to the door.

As soon as Linda left, Lisa went in search for a bottle of wine from the wine cooler. She selected an expensive bottle that Dan had brought home that was gifted by a business partner. It had to be an expensive bottle, or her mood just wouldn't lift. It's probably more fitting to open a bottle of the bubbly but there wasn't time for it to chill. Lisa felt if she didn't have an external shot of buoyance now, she would spiral down into a tantrum. Lisa could feel a bout of it coming on, just like when she was a kid when she didn't get what she wanted the moment she wanted it. Right now, she wanted her diamond pendant and she wanted it now, her mind churned with spiraling obsession. When she finally uncorked the bottle, a tedious process she could do without, she left it out to breath while she went to her bedroom to check through her jewelry box. It's no surprise, she knew it wouldn't be there, since on her way home she thought back to the last twenty-four hours and was pretty sure she wasn't wearing it after the tryst with Brad. Nonetheless, she checked the rest of her bedroom and the pendant was nowhere to be found.

Lisa returned to the kitchen and poured herself a generous glass and downed half of it. She glanced at the clock and cursed silently; Dan would be home in less than an hour. She went to the fridge and saw that the casserole that the in-law's personal chef had prepared for them to bring home after the long weekend still has enough left for supper tonight. Casserole then, Lisa thought, not having the energy to go the extra mile, and pulled out the half empty dish. She popped it into the oven and programed in the Baaking temperature and time.

She picked up her glass, dropped down on the sofa and began web searching for the diamond pendant. When she had found what she was looking for her need to tantrum threatened to burst forth. Lisa downed the rest of the wine in her glass to try and suppress her need to scream and yell. Three grand, the pendant cost three grand. God, dammit! She didn't have that kind of money to spend on a pendant. Technically she did, but her salary was hers, she didn't want to spend it buying something she already owned. Not to mention, she originally wanted a diamond ring like her mother-in-law's, not a pendant.

A sound of a small crashed sounded from Melissa and Teddy's room. "What the hell, Melissa." Lisa cursed under her breath, she figured it had to be her that had caused the crash, Teddy should be in his crib. She walked in and saw that the little table that Melissa used to draw and had her tea party on was upended. "What happened?" Lisa bent down to right the little table.

"Nothing," Melissa giggled, her little hands clutching the rear legs of the rocking horse.

"Melissa?" Lisa's brows raised, a gesture that she often used to signal that she wanted answers.

"I was just playing with the horsey," Melissa said in the toddler nasally voice, "and, it bumped the table."

"It did?" Lisa said with deliberate exaggeration one did with children. "How?"

Melissa giggled. She went to demonstrate, dragging the rocking horse closer to the table and onerously lifted the back legs of the rocking horse up and wedged the head of the horse underneath the table. She then hopped onto the rocking horse and the motion popped the table over, causing a loud crash when the table landed. Melissa let out a loud giggle finding the whole thing hilarious.

"Melissa, it's very dangerous to do that," Lisa said sternly, "never do that again, you hear? You might hurt yourself and someone else if they are in the room." Lisa righted the table again. "I'm going to check on supper, play nicely, I don't want to hear another loud crash."

"Are we going to have pudding?" Melissa asked, looking hopeful.

"No. We are not having pudding." Lisa turned to leave without so much as a glance towards her son.

"But daddy said we could if we're good," Melissa said.

"What you did just now, do you think that was good?" Lisa asked.

"I was just playing," Melissa said.

"That was not playing, that was you not cherishing your things," Lisa said.

"What's chr-she?" Melissa asked.

"Cherish," Lisa repeated, "it means to take care of things you have, because they are important to you."

Melissa looked at Lisa as if she was trying to comprehend. "Ok, I'll try not to break it."

Unsure if Melissa truly understood, Lisa didn't want to bother with it now. She finally looked over to where Teddy was sitting quietly in his crib, watching the exchange through the bars of the crib. She walked over, tousled his hair, he broke into a smile, arms raised, waiting for his mother to pick him up. Lisa, instead, turned and left the room, closing the door behind her. Her mind was already back on the issue of the missing pendant.

Luckily,after Dan came home, he went to play with the kids, the subject of the pendantnever even came up.