Mindy Cooper has
recently broken off her engagement with town scion Bernard Morton. While she’s
basically at peace with her decision not to marry her former boss, there is a
part of her that wonders what her life would have been like had she gone
through with the ceremony. A life of leisure as opposed to one of hard work and
toil does have its attractions. However, so does being free…
“I still don’t see how you could have broken up with
Bernard,” Mindy’s sister Sandi observed. “He’s loaded. Come to think of it, I
don’t see how you could have broken up with Tyler Schuyler. He’s going to be
loaded someday too.”
“Tyler’s a nice person but he’s too immature for me,” Mindy
explained. “Bernard Morton, on the other hand, isn’t a nice person but he’s
also too immature for me.”
“How can you say that?” Sandi demanded. “Bernard is way
older than you. He’s seriously flirting with fifty.”
“He’s past flirting,” Mindy assured her.
“Oh, yeah? How old is he?”
“He’d never tell me but age doesn’t have anything to do with
being mature, Sandi. Bernard will always be a selfish, immature jerk.”
“A rich selfish, immature jerk,” Sandi corrected. “That
makes a difference. Wouldn’t you like to have a rich husband so you don’t have
to work at that lousy paper? It barely pays enough for the gas to get to work.”
“Then why on earth did you decide to take a job there?”
“It was either working at the newspaper or being the lady at
the Laundromat who makes sure no one is stealing other people’s laundry. The
newspaper seemed a tiny bit more interesting although there isn’t much
difference in the pay. Now let’s get back to you. Are you happy now that you’ve
dumped Bernard?”
“I’m happier than I was when I was with him.”
“Do you care if he starts dating someone else?”
Mindy narrowed her eyes. “Such as?”
“Such as me.”
“I thought you were interested in Peter Van Husen.”
“Mindy, you know me. I’m interested in all men but you have
to admit that Bernard is more appealing than Peter.”
“I don’t know about that. Peter’s very good looking, like a
young Robert Redford.”
“And Bernard looks like a middle-aged Warren Beatty. Half a
dozen of one and six of the other, I’d say. But the clincher is that Bernard
has a ton of money and Peter doesn’t.”
“Bernard might also be going to jail if he gets convicted of
killing Fritz Weiss,” Mindy pointed out. “He’s the most likely suspect, I’d
say.”
“Bernard? He’s a pussy cat. Why would he kill that creepy
old chemist? Besides, suppose he did do it and winds up in jail. If he has a
wife when that happens, who do you think will get all his money?”
“You’re terrible!”
“I’m not terrible. I’m pragmatic. Look, Mindy, I’m going to
be 30 in a few years and I’d like to have a rich husband before that happens
and before my looks totally fade. Do you think I’m going to be this gorgeous
forever?”
“Don’t you want to love your husband when you get married?”
“In the immortal words of Tina Turner, what’s love got to do
with it? I want to be happy and I won’t be happy until I have a lot of money at
my disposal. Look at what happened to Mom—she married for love and Dad left her
for another woman.”
“Dad also left her because Mom is nuts.”
“What’s the difference? All I’m saying is that when I get
married, I’m going into it with open eyes. So you don’t care if I start cozying
up to your ex-fiance?”
“Help yourself,” Mindy replied. As if on cue, Sandy’s cell
phone rang. Picking it up, a wide smile crawled across her face. “Well, what do
you know—it’s Bernard. If he wants to take me out tonight, why don’t I tell
Peter that you’re free?”
Mindy sighed. “Go ahead,” she said. “A young Robert Redford
is better than no date at all.”
“Now you’re getting smart,” Sandi encouraged before
breathing into her cell phone, “Hello, Bernie, what’s up?”
