Bonnie Patterson walked into the house, her arms full of purchases. Without her family in town for Christmas, she’d had shockingly few people to go Christmas shopping for this year, so she’d ended up shopping for herself instead. She now had a new lamp for her nightstand, a shower curtain for the bathroom, and an adorable red peacoat, all curtesy of the thrift store. She couldn’t afford shopping elsewhere, and anyway, she liked the hunt – the thrill of finding something great in amongst all of the junk.

Her phone began vibrating in her pocket and, after pulling it out and checking caller ID, swiped to the right and shoved it between her shoulder and cheek.

“Hey, Jennifer!” she said enthusiastically as she began unloading her bags. “It’s been so long since we&...

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