It was only as she closed the door behind her that the phone started to ring, 'sod it' she thought. She was not going back life was just bad enough at the moment without another cold caller trying to sell her a new roof in her ground floor flat. She strode down the path and out of the gate. Anyone looking at her would know that there was one forty year old fat ugly unhappy person. Rosie tried to give herself a talking to but her brain was not in the mood to listen, going to the dentist always made her feel this pent up.
She marched into the park as her mobile phone rang, 'I'd better answer that' she told herself work had been unhappy with her taking time off. Rosie fumed as she reached for her phone the message clear and simple. 'Good grief' a cancellation message from the dentist. Rosie was so relieved that she sat on the bench and started to cry. Her life was crap and she knew she had let herself go, her parents had been rubbish. She had not seen them since she was sixteen and on leaving home she had told them their fortunes. The message from them was that she was stupid, rubbish, fat and ugly; in fact she did not even look like a woman.
Rosie walked into the park she was certainly not going into work yet, for Pete's sake it was only a temping job. Rosie's mind ran round and round, and as sobs racked her body her mutterings and mumblings became more incoherent, why oh why had she committed the most unforgivable of sins, she had fulfilled her parents prophesy. 'This had to flipping change' she told herself and as her mind cleared she started to calm, Rosie slowly began to realise that what she had become was her own fault, and she definitely needed to find some self control and determination if things were to change. Sitting every evening reading crime novels was no help she told herself 'Life is passing me by'.
The rain started to fall heavier and she sank back into her hood and into the bench. Time passed and the only person coming anyway near her was an office worker and Rosie's eyes followed him. He appeared edgy and as she watched he dropped his briefcase into the bin and with a furtive look around carried on walking. Rosie's brain went into gear and she scanned the park. It was then she noticed the strange number of people all seeming to be equally spaced out in sight of the bin. Most clear to her were the two joggers getting ever nearer and as they passed Rosie could see their hi-tech earpieces. She heard a low mumble as they passed the gardener and he moved round to the back of the flower bed more in line with the bin and the briefcase jutting out from it.
The drowned rat sat mesmerised, her mind racing deciding between kidnap money and a drug payout, her second hand knowledge of crime came to the fore. Rosie decided to sit and wait it out her mind now clear and sobbing stopped. She wondered if whoever was to collect the briefcase would have the sense to leave the case and just take the money. God this was the most excitement she had ever had and then screaming pierced the noise of the falling rain. All the watchers ran towards the far corner of the park, Rosie moved quickly as a flash to the bin and opened the briefcase; wedges of money were neatly laid out. Without a thought Rosie stuffed handfuls into her pockets and did the case back up again. Calm as a cucumber she headed out of the gates and was back in doors in seconds.
Panic quickly set in as Rosie counted the money she had six bundles of £50 pound notes all in non sequential order and totalling over sixty thousand pounds. She needed to think and as she heard the dustman down the street her large wet parka, gloves, grey tartan trousers and distinctive coloured Doc. Marten's went into a black sack and donning her dressing gown she handed the sack to the dustman. Rosie watched with relief as they went in the back of the dust van. First a shower and then she had to sit and plan, some clever thinking was now needed. The drowned rat look was doing nothing for her confidence. Feeling warmed up and with adrenalin surging through her body she called work and advised them the dentist had cancelled but she was ill in bed with a virus.
Rosie sat in her easy chair and as she sipped her coffee mentally walked the route to the park and back, she was certain no CCTV cameras anywhere. She put some money into her purse. She doubted if she had ever had one £50 note before never mind this lot. Pondering where to hide the money, she mentally walked around the flat. The freezer she thought in amidst the pizzas and all the processed junk she would now give up eating. Carefully opening every other box she gradually hid the money but all of a sudden it seemed such a bulk.
Where could the rest go, now she went into every room in the flat she mused and then in a flash she had it. Rosie had never understood why she had bought so many rolls of tin foil and none of cling film but now her idiocy was of use. Flat packing the money into the tin foil she placed the packages behind the radiators. The skirting board stopped them falling down to the floor, the tin foil made it look like heat reflecting panels and once the radiator covers were eased back no one could see anyway. Rosie was so pleased with herself, laughing she realised she was not stupid at all mind you she was still fat, ugly and sexless.
Watching the one o'clock news no mention was made of the incident in the park. Time for action and squeezing into a girdle she had bought years ago, tights and heeled shoes, Rosie sat and blow dried her hair. Searching her wardrobe for something more feminine to wear was problematical to say the least and she settled for a plain black shapeless dress. With a bit of slap on her face and her bright green coat on Rosie headed off to the West End. Thank god it was late night closing; it was the second salon she visited that could fit her in for a makeover, colour and new hair style, facial and makeup advice. Three hours later and four hundred pounds lighter she hardly recognised herself, gone was the frumpy and manly image she had projected in the park, her hair was now titian and her curls flowed freely. Rosie floated on air knowing that she now looked the thirty that she really was and continued her retail therapy.
Next one of the big stores and her luck was in John Lewis also had a personal shopper free. Sipping free champagne in her private changing room with and someone to advise her, she sighed and then chuckled to herself 'Heaven has arrived.' Rosie finally headed homeward dressed in her new range of casual clothing, her figure had been comfortably nipped and tucked with gorgeous silky lingerie and a good start to a new wardrobe hung from her arms. As she passed a bin she threw in her old clothes. No longer was she going to let herself go, she had been granted a miracle, now she was going to make the most of it. Rosie turned the corner into her road and her heart stopped. She slowed down watching as police appeared to be calling at every flat and walking towards her door her stomach sank into her new boots.
'Excuse me Miss Can you tell me if you have seen or know of a man looking like this earlier today?' Rosie turned and looked at the sketch held out by the officer; there was a chubby looking person in a parka, hood up, head down, check trousers and bright Dr.Marten boots. Rosie gazed at the identikit photo and shook her head,' I 'm Sorry I was in doors all morning with toothache and went out about 1.30, it's not someone I recognise' The policeman smiled and went to walk away when Rosie asked a question. 'Sorry officer is it a threat to our safety?' He smiled at her and said there were no concerns the man just might have witnessed an incident in the park this morning'.
Rosie went inside and closed the door behind her, time to put the kettle on and start to think about weight loss, gym membership ,a proper job and of course another terrifying appointment with the dentist.