Lost Sock

Lost Sock

Noel Laflin

9-17-14

A friend of mine has been looking for a particular lost sock for years now.
 

I hope she finds it, because according to her, there is cold, hard cash in that old piece of footwear.

She hid the sock somewhere safe in her small house nearly a decade ago.  Somewhere along the line she just forgot where, however, and has been poking about in every nook and cranny in search of the loot ever since.  I am reminded of the scene from the movie, Stand By Me, where one of the boys (Vern) is seen digging a hundred holes under his house in search of the mason jar filled with pennies that he had buried – but subsequently lost as his mother had thrown out his hand-drawn treasure map.

I remember my friend first telling me about the misplacement of Jacksons and Franklins some five years ago as we had dinner together one evening.

“So, how much are we talking about?” I inquired at the end of her sad admission.

“Oh, about eighteen-hundred dollars, I guess, give or take,” she said.

“Jesus!” I exclaimed, spitting a mouthful of coffee across the table.  “How do you misplace almost two grand?”

“Well, I just wanted to make sure it was safely hidden you know,” she responded sheepishly.  “Could you pass me a napkin please?” she replied pleasantly.  My friend is cheerful by nature, even while dabbing at coffee stains.

“I had been saving the money for some time,” she continued.  “I would wrap the bills in a rubber band, hidden in that old sock and hide it, of course.  I kept thinking of better places as the amount grew.  Guess I found a really good spot with that last move – wherever it is,” she sighed.

And so the search continues.

I am dog-sitting for my friend this week.  The little guy and I will have the whole house to ourselves for three days.

If we get lucky, I am hoping that he can keep a secret.   I am sure he will as I promised him an old sock to play with.  And, I told him that he can keep the Sherlock Holmes outfit as well.