2120. Spider bite

Thelma went out to the garden to get some parsley. She got bitten on the finger by a little spider. It wasn’t much. It gave her more of a fright than anything else. Over the next few days her finger swelled up so she went to the doctor.

The doctor gave her some stuff but it didn’t seem to make any difference. It wasn’t overly sore, but Thelma worked as a secretary and she was finding with the swollen finger that it was increasingly difficult to type.

Things went from bad to worse. The doctor began suggesting amputation but Thelma said she wouldn’t mind a second opinion on that, thanks very much.

She had to resign from work and, being a solo mother, found it difficult to pay for things needed for her three high-school-aged children. They were falling into bad company. She couldn’t afford to run the car, and rent was becoming increasingly difficult. Then one of her daughters came home and announced that she was moving in with her boyfriend, and she was only sixteen. Next thing Thelma was thrown out by the landlord.

As luck would have it, Thelma got a job working as a cook in a rather exclusive restaurant. She was very good at it too. But if you go there to eat you’ll find there’s not a sprig of parsley in sight.