This story is about a ne'er-do-well and his girlfriend as they search for a thief.

Two Americans living sumptuously abroad find their relationship challenged by an unexpected lack of finances. When Jake, a commodities broker, is unable to pay the bills (due to a dock strike that holds up a cocoa shipment), he suggests that Tina (sensuous, beautiful, and still married to another man) file an insurance claim on her 'little Henry Moore' in order to help pay their bills. Tina balks. The statue is her only source of security, all that she owns in the whole world. Does he realize what he's asking of her? Then the statue simply disappears. Circumstances become more dire and questions emerge. Can Tina trust Jake? Can Jake trust Tina? When things spin out of their control, each is forced to reckon with doubt--doubt of themselves, doubt of each other, and doubt of the strength of their bond. As it is with love, "to some people, cocoa is very scary." The story that unfolds is sensuous, understated, witty, and elegant--a true 'Object of Beauty.'—JCrickett

American couple Jake and Tina are living in an expensive London hotel way beyond what they can afford. When they were asked to pay the bill, Jake wants to sell Tina's 20,000-pound Henry Moore sculpture, but she is not happy about that. The deaf-mute hotel maid admires the sculpture for its beauty rather than its value. When the sculpture goes missing, the couple start fighting over it.—Sami Al-Taher <[email protected]>

Charming comedy about how a couple's relationship wavers in tandem with the disposition of their statuette. With no fixed abode, Jake and Tina live in hotels across the world. With a large bill due and money in short supply, their plan to "steal" their Henry Moore statue and claim against it is thwarted when someone else steals it first. They soon start distrusting each other's motives as they search for the statue, and keep trying to get its valuation boosted while avoiding the bill. With no sign of it, they drift apart, despite being in love, and don't reconcile until it reappears one day--having been stolen by a deaf-mute maid who feels the statue "spoke" to her.—Cynan Rees <[email protected]>