The Super Bowl watch party won't be right without Laura's lucky jersey. But its T-1 hour until the guests show up, and the jersey is missing. Can you help Callie find it for her mother in time to enjoy the game?
This is a "sleuth it yourself" mini mystery with the solution at the end.
KICK OFF CHAOS!
“Where’s my lucky jersey?” Mom’s frantic voice echoes throughout the house. As if things weren’t chaotic enough one hour before kickoff on Super Bowl Sunday, now this.
The big game means little to me.
Mom, on the other hand spends months planning the biggest party on the block. It’s not just the excitement of the game, or the heart-attack-on-a-plate buffet, or the gathering of family, friends, and “frenemies,” aka those who root for the opposing team. It’s also an opportunity to show off her lucky jersey signed by some famous quarterback. Don’t ask me who. He played decades ago.
“Callie, come help me!”
I head in her direction, passing the dining table pre-staged with chafing dishes, crockpots, hot pads, and bowls already mounded with chips. I snag one. There are some aspects of Super Bowl Sundays I do enjoy.
I find Mom in the kitchen, her distress obvious.
“It can’t be far,” I say. “I saw you wearing it an hour ago.”
“I didn’t want to mess it up while I made my famous sage-butter nachos. I took it off and put it on the washing machine.”
“It probably slipped behind.” I went and checked. No such luck.
“Somebody took it,” Mom wails.
“Did you see anyone go into the laundry room?”
“Chewy went in to get a drink of water.”
Chewy is my brother’s 120-pound mutt. The entire family—to include lovely wife Serita and their adorable toddler Zoe—came into town for the big event this year. “Did you spill anything on it that might tempt the hungry hound?”
“I splashed a bit of chili.”
That’s worrisome. Chewy came by his name honestly. If the jersey holds even a whiff of anything tasty, then it’s a lost cause. But I need to think positive. “Anyone else?”
“Serita started a load of laundry.” Mom scoffed.
It’s Serita’s first Super Bowl with us. She doesn’t realize it’s sacrilegious to do laundry during the big game. But I’d seen my niece in seven outfits already today, so it’s possible the laundry situation has her fourth-down and long, and she had to go for it.
Mom smacks the counter. “If she took it, there’s gonna be words!”
“Why would Serita take your jersey? She’s even less a football fan than me.”
“Good point.”
A horrible thought crosses my mind: what if Serita thought mom’s jersey was dirty and tossed it in with her load? I hope not, for my sister-in-law’s sake. Mom’s lucky jersey fell into the hand-wash-only category. But the front-loader was still in mid-cycle, so I couldn’t check.
“Who took it?” Mom cries.
“I don’t know, mom. But we’ll find it.”
Mom snaps her fingers. “I bet Aunt Julie took it.” Aunt Julie had come for Christmas…and never left. Things are getting testy between the two sisters. “We have a bet for five Benjamin's on the line. She knows how lucky that jersey is and would steal it to shake my confidence.”
We confront Julie, but she alibis out. “I just got back from a trip to that sports memorabilia shop. Look what I found.” She shows us her team’s jersey. “Signed by their star running back.” She flashes the back, and sure enough, an illegible autograph.
That gives me an idea. As a last-minute Hail Mary, maybe I can slip down to the shop and get Mom a new lucky jersey to wear today. I pull out my cellphone to check their inventory. As I’m scrolling their site, an image pops up—with evidence of who stole mom’s lucky jersey.
My two-step dance is worthy of a fifteen-yard penalty for excessive celebration. Game on!
___________________________________________________________________
It all makes sense when an image of my niece flashes on my Insta account. She’s posed at the empty High School stadium down the street, and is wearing the missing jersey, belted up like a dress. Too cute! A mini photo session in advance of the big game gave Serita some relevant posts for the day. And mom has another photo to gush over.
Mom and Serita hug it out two minutes before kick-off. Fingers crossed mom’s jersey proves lucky and her team wins!
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