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On my way to get my first cup of coffee one morning I spotted my silver fruit bowl that had long been in need of a good polishing. Grabbing my favorite coffee cup, I stood on my kitchen stool to search for the silver polish in an upper cupboard next to the refrigerator. I sometimes forget things so decided to get the polish out now to remind myself to polish the bowl after coffee.

At the front of the cupboard were the cleaning items I use most everyday, or at least weekly. In the back of the cupboard I noticed a variety of old and nearly empty containers of various cleaning products, some worn out sponges and a partially full bottle of houseplant food, all of which were not visible to me (being only five foot two), until I stood on the stool.

I set my cup down on top of the refrigerator and because I tend to forget things, while I was on the stool I thought I might as well get rid of the items no longer usable. Suddenly I spotted a motionless furry looking thing in the midst of it all. Unfortunately, I didn't realize it was a partially hairless scrub brush before I flew off the stool. On the stool again, having regained my composure, I moved the keepable items over to the top of the refrigerator and wrapped the disintegrating shelf paper around the fuzzy thing and the containers too large for the kitchen trash and headed to the garbage bin on the side of the yard.

On my way there I noticed a few weeds sprouting up and knowing how I forget things, I decided to pull them before they had a chance to multiply. I set the bundle of items from the cupboard down on the patio table and began to yank at the weeds. The phone rang, and I hurried into the house to answer it while still holding the weeds. It was my best friend, and as we were talking I unconsciously began to twist the plant life in my free hand shredding them onto the carpet. We ended our chat and, when I saw what I had done, I got the vacuum cleaner out and cleaned up the green fuzzy pieces. I might as well do the whole room, I decided, since I had the vacuum cleaner in hand.

As I put it back in the broom closet, I noticed the knob on the door was coming loose, so I went to the garage to get a screwdriver out of my toolbox. In my search for the tool I noticed that my car was in need of washing. I was going to a meeting later that morning and didn't want to be seen in a dirty car.

I got the car keys from the drawer of the umbrella bench in the hall, set the screwdriver down on it and went to back the car into the driveway. I turned the water on, only to find that the hose had several holes in it. Water was squirting in every direction. Turning off the faucet, I unscrewed the hose, and because I sometimes forget things, rolled it up and put it on the workbench to repair at another time. I would go to a carwash before the meeting.

After the meeting I passed a grocery store and remembered that I needed several items for a family potluck on the coming Saturday. As I put the items in the refrigerator I spotted the silver bowl that I was going to polish. The bowl that led me to clean out the cupboard and then to the patio table where I left the trash items to answer the phone while dropping weeds on the carpet, causing me to get out the vacuum cleaner, leading me to search for a screwdriver to tighten the loose knob after vacuuming, and on to discover the holey hose.

I needed to sit down with a cup of coffee, contemplate my day and try to remember some projects I think I started this morning. Now, if I could just remember where I put my favorite coffee cup…

- Lenna C. Wyatt

Lenna C. Wyatt, of Scottsdale, Ariz., has written dozens of short stories, many with O. Henry-style endings. She's nearly finished with a mystery and continues to work on an archaeological novel about the first 2,000 years of human history.