Lot #25
by Marilyn Hughes
Mrs. Candy van der Snob
Ms. Candy van der Snob has learned upon the death of her entreprenurial husband, Mr. van der Snob, that she will be moving into a trailer that her dear departed won in a poker game. This comes as quite a shock as Ms. Snob (as she likes to be called) has been living in the lap of luxery for many years. What she didn't know was that her husband had frittered their money away on poker (high roller/big loser), a close "friend" that needed "assistance", and high living. He was spending more than he was making, losing tons of money at the local casino & one "business" trips to Vegas, but successfully hiding this from his wife untill his business tanked (she never was really clear on what that was anyway). Fearing that his wife was about to find out all, he went to find "solace" at his "friend's" condo, suffering a heartattack in route. The high living which he so enjoyed had caused clogged arteries.
So, Ms. Snob is sitting in the upper floor of her huge Victorian house, getting ready for the funeral. As she has just learned that she is not only a widow, but a pauper, she has gone slightly nutty and thinks she is holding a mirror in her hand. She's preening, knowing she must look her best though for what, she's not exactly sure. Most of the items in the house have been sold to pay for the funeral, so she's only left with a few belongings and her large staff has been let go, as shown by the slightly dusty and shabby interior.
Unknown to her, her long-time maid, Mrs. Maud Dust, will be joining her at the trailer. She has only left to visit her family for a short time and then plans to surprise Ms. Snob at her new place. Ms. Dust realizes that Ms. Snob will never make it on her own (Ms. Snob never having to cook or clean a day in her life) and has therefore decided to throw in her lot with her old employer. She has a little money she saved up and smartly invested, so she's not worried about being paid. Ms. Snob has been left with a small pension, the result of a life insurance policy taken out years before of which she was once again unaware of.