Jingle of Coins Read Free

there.”
    "Want some cookies?" her neighbor asked as Emily peered over the guard chain.
    The tantalizing scent of freshly baked cookies wafted through the air and she nodded. "Sure, come on in.”
    Rosie strode into the room, settled her ample frame on the sofa, and passed the plate. "Here, help yourself. They’re still hot.”
    Emily reached for a warm, gooey, cookie. “What’s going on?”
    “I needed a little peace and quiet, and thought you might want some company for a few minutes.”
    “Now’s really not a good time. Sorry, but I’m busy.”
    “No problem." Rosie dragged her fingers through her short, black hair. “The kids are helping my husband put together a model; they’re probably driving him crazy by now.” She grinned mischievously. “With those three, too much togetherness is not a good thing. Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Tonight is our weekly ‘Girls Night Out.’ Wanna go?"
    Shaking her head, Emily opened her mouth to decline, but Rosie held up a hand. "Before you say no, let me finish. There's only five of us. You need to get out of this apartment and take a break from worrying. It’ll be a fun way for you to meet some of the women in the building. They’re a hoot. We're going to dinner at the Indian Casino’s new seafood restaurant, and then we’ll probably play the slot machines for a little while. How about it?" She grabbed the plate of cookies and waved it under Emily’s nose. “If you say yes, I’ll even give you another plate of my famous ‘Death by Chocolate Cookies.’ What do you say?”
    "Hummm. Slot machines? You know, I’ve always wanted to try the one-armed bandits.” Emily thought about it for a moment and then agreed. “All right. What time do we leave?"
    "Great! Meet me downstairs at six.” Rosie brushed cookie crumbs off her shirt. "I’d better go. Tony's already grumbling about having to babysit the twins tonight. If I don’t get back soon, he might reconsider his offer.” She patted Emily’s shoulder. “I’m glad you decided to come. You’ve been cooped up in here way too long.”
    “Don’t forget to bring a couple extra bucks for the slot machines," Rosie called over her shoulder as she disappeared into the hall.
    Emily smiled and leaned against the door. Dinner with the girls might be fun. She hadn’t been out in a while. The only down side would be she'd have wear her hearing aids to tone down the noise. She reached up to touch the miniaturized devices and sighed. Wearing them reminded her that she wasn’t completely healed, and never would be. She hated being dependent on them, but unless she wanted to endure ringing in her ears and blinding headaches for days, she had to wear the blasted things.
    Emily took her time getting ready, and when the wall clock chimed six, hurried to meet the other women. Most she recognized from the laundry room; others she’d passed on the stairs or mailboxes. Once Rosie made the introductions, she shepherded the group toward her van.
    The women sampled their way through varied offerings of shrimp, prime rib, pasta salads, and dessert, and then decided to try their luck at the slots. Emily found herself alone when the group split up to search for a winning slot machine. An avid people watcher, she hovered for a few minutes near a group of senior citizens and watched as one little old lady commandeered an entire bank of nickel slots. Whenever someone walked by, the woman leaned to one side and stretched her arms across the bank of machines. Several people attempted to play one of the woman’s machines, and each time the feisty old lady scrambled off her stool, stood determinedly between the would-be slot player and the machine, and told the player to take a hike. When one man insisted that she had too many machines going, the old woman swatted him with her purse. Emily tried not to laugh as the man muttered under his breath and quickly moved away. God help anyone who tried to come between little old ladies and their slot