BLOOD MONEY
Ripping away another tissue she dabbed at the injury. Shit! This was going to be sore in the morning. Her protruded bottom lip was reflected in the dressing table mirror; at least the flow of blood seemed to be slowing.
The fingers of her free hand wrapped around the offending cylinder, resting on a magazine, where she had flung it in pain and anger. Taking her eyes from the carnage of her mouth she squinted at the chisel point of lipstick.
What was that!?
Something glinted pinkly white in the lamplight. Taking a nail file she dug into the waxy cosmetic. Flicking the point dislodged the foreign body which bounced onto the dresser. She slammed down the palm of her hand to prevent the object skittering away. Picking it up between thumb and forefinger she examined it closely.
A tooth! Stained with the lipstick within which it had lain hidden. Not a real molar admittedly, it looked to have broken off from a denture. But still…! Hadn’t someone missed it? Weren’t there procedures in the cosmetics factory to screen out such errors?
Yuk! She squeamishly opened her hand, dropping the offending article and watched it settle to the open magazine alongside an advertisement for a personal injury solicitor.
The lipstick had obviously already passed this way as it had strangely underscored her own horoscope on its earlier flight.
Gemini.
May 21 – June 20
No point being down in the mouth, some serious cash could be coming your way.
Ripping away another tissue she dabbed at the injury. Shit! This was going to be sore in the morning. Her protruded bottom lip was reflected in the dressing table mirror; at least the flow of blood seemed to be slowing.
The fingers of her free hand wrapped around the offending cylinder, resting on a magazine, where she had flung it in pain and anger. Taking her eyes from the carnage of her mouth she squinted at the chisel point of lipstick.
What was that!?
Something glinted pinkly white in the lamplight. Taking a nail file she dug into the waxy cosmetic. Flicking the point dislodged the foreign body which bounced onto the dresser. She slammed down the palm of her hand to prevent the object skittering away. Picking it up between thumb and forefinger she examined it closely.
A tooth! Stained with the lipstick within which it had lain hidden. Not a real molar admittedly, it looked to have broken off from a denture. But still…! Hadn’t someone missed it? Weren’t there procedures in the cosmetics factory to screen out such errors?
Yuk! She squeamishly opened her hand, dropping the offending article and watched it settle to the open magazine alongside an advertisement for a personal injury solicitor.
The lipstick had obviously already passed this way as it had strangely underscored her own horoscope on its earlier flight.
Gemini.
May 21 – June 20
No point being down in the mouth, some serious cash could be coming your way.