99 word prompt: not all is lost

June 21, 2018, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less) write a story about “not all is lost.” It can include recovery from disaster, an unexpected insight after a fall, or however the phrase moves you. Go where the prompt leads.

If you want to participate, here’s the link:  https://carrotranch.com/2018/06/22/june-21-flash-fiction-challenge/

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My mind in fog, the car wandered through a mall parking lot the day after New Year’s.  A few empty spaces waited near an expensive store and I walked past a perfume counter with one goal. 

I needed a black dress.

Passing the cosmetics counter, I heard wailing.  No one scrambling to call 911, no sirens, just 2 high school girls consoling their friend over a broken nail.

I laughed at the irony. Should I tell the 3 Stooges, “Not all is lost?” 

No. It was the first time I’d felt like smiling since my husband had passed away.