Mavis hated apples but she heard that they were good for hypertension which she didn’t have so she ate an apple every day.
She read that regular routine maintenance helped cars last longer and although she wasn’t mechanical she visited the doctor for check ups every three months.
Mavis only watched movies that won Best Picture, only listened to songs in the Billboard top 100, only went to restaurants with five star ratings, only stayed in hotels with celebrity endorsements
Until one day she spotted a penny on the sidewalk.
And staring at it she thought of a quote she read about picking it up for good luck.
But then she remembered what she heard about bacteria on foreign objects on the ground.
She couldn’t tell if it were a Flying Eagle penny which could be worth money without grabbing it,
But if someone was dropping them off the building, she could die if she didn’t move…
If she looked up to check, the sunlight in her eyes would blind her,
And carrying so many bags, if she bent down incorrectly, she could hurt her back…
Mavis did not move.