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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 2 – Intermediate)
Topic: Shrewdness (03/07/05)
Crystal Taylor stood in front of her open suitcase, fingering the large pearls around her neck, and sighed with boredom. She was feeling very lonely. Her life seem to consist of nothing but strangers, money, and airports. The happiest moments in her life were five years ago when she was a student at Columbia College. However, sadness came the year she graduated. It was the same year her parents died in a car accident.

Her wealthy parents left behind a large estate which provided well for her and her younger sister, Lisa. However, money became a source of contention between them. Lisa never understood that new-found riches usually brought along a host of problems, mainly gold diggers. Soon after the estate was settled, Lisa met Peter Dunne, a handsome bartender. Lisa fell head over heels for him, but Crystal knew that he was up to no good. Despite Crystal’s protests, Lisa ran off to marry Peter, cutting off all communication with her sister. After many attempts, Crystal was forced to move on with her life. She always wondered what happed to Lisa, until the day Lisa came knocking on her door.

Annie, the housekeeper, answered the door and was shocked to see Lisa after so many years. She quickly ushered her inside the foyer and noticed two little girls following behind her. Annie sat them all down in the living room and went to find Crystal.

Crystal raced downstairs to meet Lisa. If there was a hint of negativity towards her sister, it was suddenly erased when she saw Lisa standing at the foot of the stairs. Crystal was shocked to see that Lisa was a mother now. The twin girls looked to be around three-years old. Annie announced that she would serve them a quick lunch outside on the terrace. It was time to talk. Crystal looked into her sister's tear-stained eyes as Lisa explained her situation.

“Chrys, my marriage is over! Peter ran off with another woman a month ago. He emptied our account and left us with a bunch of unpaid bills. Last month’s mortgage hasn’t been paid and I don’t know what to do!” Lisa sobbed. Crystal was fuming. She wanted revenge for her sister, but she knew that she first had to pray before she made another move. Crystal led a prayer on the terrace along with Lisa and twins.

A few hours later, the house was busy with activity. Crystal called an emergency meeting with both the family attorney and the accountant. Annie helped Lisa cancel all of her credit cards while the twins were upstairs taking a nap. By that evening, they managed to close all of her accounts. They even found an old saving account in Lisa’s name that held ten thousand dollars. They depleted that account, paying every outstanding bill and moving the rest of the money into a trust fund for the twins. Crystal, being a savvy business woman, managed to make money from her inheritance. She would be fully able to take care of her sister and the girls.

Lisa entered the study looked around the well-furnished room. Crystal was always smart with her finances.
“Chrys, you are one shrewd business person. I am so impressed with the way you handle business, and I really appreciate you for helping me now.” Lisa said.
“Well, Lisa, you’re my sister and I love you.” She said. Her last task was done. Starting tomorrow, everyone would be going to Disney World for an entire week, including Annie. For the first time in years, this would be one trip that she would be looking forward to. --Matthew 10:16 (NIV)--
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This article has been read 1321 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
Sally Hanan
03/15/05
Well done. It always pays to be good stewards of what God gives.
donna robinson
03/16/05
Sometimes it's hard to not seek revenge but rather salvage what you can and forgive and move on. I thought the last paragraph dialog was a little contrite and maybe because you were using the word shrewdness in there. I don't know if it was necessary because you showed in your story how one was shrew with hre money and problem solved very well. Good read
Deborah Porter 
03/22/05
Congratulations Delores on your 6th place in the Editors' Choice awards, AND your 2nd place win in the Level 2 Champion Challenge. Well done! Based on your very good final rating, I really think it's time for you to move up to Level 3. You're ready for it! Love, Deb (Challenge Co-ordinator)