Here is the next part to The Unexpected Guests
Sitting in her cubicle at work she replayed the events of Sunday night once more. Jordan, the man who outbid her had taken her out on a date.
Belinda had been full of high hopes for the date, but things hadn’t gone as planned. Now she wanted to crawl in a hole, at least until work was over.
She had been such a blatherskite telling everyone the story of how she had met Jordan and their upcoming hot date.
MaryBeth and Angela had already been trying to ask her for details about the date and she kept excusing herself saying how busy she was. But she knew she could only avoid them for so long.
Finally, tbe time came to go home. She was ready to dash out the door before anyone could stop her. As she was running down the stairs she didn’t see Angela or MaryBeth. Taking that as a good sign that she was ahead of them she breathed a little easier.
Yes! She exited the building into the parking lot. The coast was …. OH NO! Her relief quickly drained away.
“Here comes the hardworking girl. We figured since we hadn’t been able to talk to you all day, we would wait by your car. Now spill the beans. We are dying to hear what Mr. Handsome and Wealthy was like.”
Angela and MaryBeth were grinning like Cheshire cats, their eyes held a teasing glint.
“There really isn’t much to tell.”
“Riiight! We weren’t just born yesterday.”
It was useless, when MaryBeth and Angela were set on something, they didn’t give up easily.
“Sorry to disappoint he may be wealthy. handsome and have a precious grandmother, but, he has to be one of the most boring men that I ever met! He talked all night about himself. Talk about egotistical!”
Her co-workers looked so disappointed. “So, back to square one in the search for Mr Right.” Belinda said.
“Don’t worry, he is coming, but he may be riding a slow turtle instead of a white horse. Thats the cause for the delay.”
Laughing, Belinda opened up her car door. “Thanks for that reassurance. Have a good night, see you both tomorrow.”
They said goodbye and headed for their cars. Belinda was ready for a relaxing evening at home. Driving home she saw that the new thrift store in town was open. Pulling into a parking space she decided to check it out. Sometimes treasures could be found where one least expects.
She wasn’t in the thrift shop for more than five minutes when she saw it! It was stunning.

Belinda was so excited she didn’t look for anything else. She got in line at the register and was back out to her car in a jiffy.
She would put the painting over her fireplace. Driving home, there was a song in her heart. She had a peacock painting! Sometimes the simplest things could make her happy. She studied the painting for a little, admiring it once more. Wait, what was that on the painting?
There appeared to be something that wasn’t quite right. A bump in the painting. Belinda ran her hand down it and then cried out. It was a little white pocket in the painting and something was inside!
She pulled out a hand drawn treasure map. There was much detail and an X marked the spot!
Feeling intrigued she looked closely at the names of places on the map and they weren’t far. Within a couple hours drive. Suddenly she knew how she would spend her Saturday. Yes, it could be a fake treasure map, but what if it wasn’t???
(To be continued… on Saturday)
I’ll bet the map leads to a buried pot of Lucky Charms Magical Worldwide Adventure tokens. Belinda is a very lucky lady, indeed.
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Welll … what exactly will the adventure tokens get her? That will tell how lucky she is.
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I think if she collects all the tokens, she’ll get a free box of Lucky Charms cereal.
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What will the map lead to?
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Hopefully to somewhere wonderful!
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π
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Little did Belinda know she was about to go in search of the treasure of Mrs. Peacock, a wealthy woman with a past shrouded in mystery and violence. It was said that she stole the treasure from a Colonel who had originally discovered it on one of his adventures in a far away land.
The story goes that Mrs. Peacock had been invited to a party in a mansion in which the Colonel was displaying this treasure to a select group of people. The greedy Mrs. Peacock saw the treasure and immediately plotted to steal it. Finding the Colonel alone in the conservatory, she quickly grabbed a candlestick, snuck up behind him, and killed him. She then tried to make as look as though another guest, Professor Plum, had killed Colonel Mustard with a lead pipe.
She got away with the crime just long enough to hide the treasure and conceal a map in the Peacock painting that she loved so much. She was eventually found out as the murderer and sent to prison.
Unfortunately for Belinda, Mrs. Peacock had served her sentence and was just recently released from prison and would be looking for the painting and the map.
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πΆπ€!! Oh how helpful you and Tippy have been with Belinda. I breathed with relief that Tippy’s comment didn’t have Belinda chopped into bits and then….I read yours! Now she has another murderer after her! How many lives does poor Belinda have? Tell Mrs Peacock to go after Mrs Scarlett!
Annnd how will poor Belinda’s sweet grandma feel if she gets murdered?
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I haven’t a clue what you’re talking about.
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I’m growing board with this game.
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I agree. It’s murder. It was probably invented by a handsome, wealthy man. They’re all boring.
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πΆπ€!
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Handsome wealthy men donβt have a monopoly on board games.
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That’s true. If they tried, they’d be taking too much of a risk.
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I never liked that game! π
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So, world conquest is not your thing?
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Nope! I am kind, remember.
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No, I don’t remember. I’ve developed amnesia after the last time you threw something at my head.
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Haha!! Oops!
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Well then, I guess you should end it! π
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How are those groundhogs in your backyard doing, by the way?
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I am trying to bribe them to have Spring come next week!
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Too bad you are out of peppermint bark. They love that stuff.
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I wouldn’t share mine, doolally! Though if it meant Spring would come sooner I guess I could share some.
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Well, in Texas the armadillos are too blind to see their shadows so we should start spring any minute now.
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Send them up this way, smartie!
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As soon as all the ice melts in my front yard, maybe.
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We need blind animals! Groundhogs like their shadows too much! I think they are egotistical!
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…mmm…!! Don’t get him started, doolally.
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I’m hoping he’s just drank his black coffee.
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Pftttttt!
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Yes, and I have been lounging around the kitchen. I need to study on this issue, and see if I can hall out a library of puns
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Oh Help!
Don’t you have to go to work?
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I hope so. I’d like to check out those puns.
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π
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I’m not even curious yet what the map will lead Belinda to. I’m still peeved that Mr. Handsome and Weathy turned out to be an egotistical bore!
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Oops! βΊ Hey, they can’t all be perfect! BUT who says she won’t find MR Right on the treasure hunt?
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I hear good things about Professor Plum.
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LOL!
But unfortunately Mrs Peacock probably killed him already!
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Uh! what about Grandma Plum?
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Oooh sure, act like you care about Grandma Plum now! What about poor Belinda’s Grandma??
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That old prune?!?!
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πΆπ€!!
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You lost your chance to star in any more Hallmark movies, smartie! I see the thanks I get.
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Think of the poor lovelorn women who wonβt get to see those movies.
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Pfttttt!
A real shame, isn’t it?
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All handsome, wealthy men are egotistical bores. It’s us ugly, poor men that women are best off with.
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π
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Hey, I resent that. Um, wait, you said handsome AND wealthy. Never mind.
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Just because you have thick, luxurious, wavy hair, doesn’t mean you’re handsome. I think there’s something to be said for a bald head.
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Yes, being bald is a pretty slick look.
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In my case, it’s also a bumpy look.
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You should see a phrenologist about that.
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π He’d probably charge me extra, for all my bumps.
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Groan!
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LOL! Oh gosh! I need more time to make my coffee!
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Have I delayed you from poisoning yourself? If so, you’re welcome.
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Yes! You all been too speedy this morning!
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And I didn’t even drink coffee. See, your horrible addiction has made you dependent upon the substance in order to function.
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ππ
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They say that God only created some perfect heads, so he had to cover the rest with hair!
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Oooh, now he is going to get a swollen head! π
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That’s a very good saying, and I totally agree.
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Hmmm….! “No comment!”
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Agreed.
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There’s a lesson there. You should only go after the most homely and poor men.
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Jason, I’m too old and too tired to go after anyone, regardless of looks and monetary status. Besides, I’ve lived alone for long enough to realize I don’t want to compromise how I live to be compatible with someone sharing my space.
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I agree that there is a better chance that the handsome, wealthy men are boring than the ugly, poor ones, mostly because they probably had their wealth handed to them from previous generations and therefore come forward with an entitlement attitude. I personally don’t want a wealthy man, but simply one I don’t have to support because he has NO money!
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Argh…that little ‘bump’ just made the painting’s value drop like a stone…it’s completely worthless.
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Oh gosh!! Worthless? Who knows what treasure it may lead to! π
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Fake art never leads to a treasure.
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I guess we will see. π
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Okay, now I’m REALLY curious to see where your mind goes next with this one.
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Glad I sparked your curiosity. π
I am curious as well!
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I so hope itβs a treasure map, Iβm looking forward to an adventure
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I am too! ππ
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