CHAPTER 5

            I throw the alarm clock across the room, 7AM. My head is pounding, at least it’s Friday. 

            My prep work was limited as I choose no make up and glasses, a simple ponytail fell down the back of my neck.  I look horrible, but not that I really care, I’ll get ready at home after work with Liz, she has tons of clothes and make up to doll me all up.

            I make it through the front doors to work, and I can already see that Ken has piled more files on my desk, they would have to wait until after the meeting.

            The meeting passes quickly compared to most, it lasts two hours instead of the three.  Most of which is said doesn’t even enter into recognition as I stare blankly at my manager, something that I do most Fridays during the meeting.  I nod and I smile with every pause, and that is the extent of life which exudes from me, many of my colleagues are in the same trance. 

            When I get back to my desk, the red light on my phone is flashing.  I pick up the phone and dial the number to access my voice mail; there are two missed calls according to the electronic voice.  One is from my mom telling me to be there for 6:30 and the other is just static and then nothing.  Wrong number or something, anyways if it was important they would call back.  The rest of the day drags, I stare the wall clock down waiting for five to come.  It finally does.

            I catch a bus to my parent’s house.  It is always difficult to go back because while the memories stay, every time I walk through the door there is a smaller piece of me present.  My old room is no longer mine, now it belongs to my younger brother who has totally destroyed it through a mess of clothes, junk and smells.  My once pristine sunshine orange walls are now covered with tacky posters.  If there was a dead body in that room somewhere decaying, I would not be all that surprised.

“You’re early.”  My mom greets me with a big hug and kiss, while she sounds annoyed I am fairly certain that she is happy to see me.  She made porketta for dinner with mashed potatoes and gravy, something I never make for myself.

            After dinner Liz showers and I talk with my parents and brother, there is not all that much new that has transpired since last Friday when I came over for dinner, most of which is small talk.  When my sister gets out of the bathroom I take a quick shower to get the smell of food off of me and help wake me up. 

            Liz is a stunning creature.  She has long dirty blond hair that falls down her backs in waves, she always straightens it for some reason, but I think it looks so beautiful naturally.  While my skin, she is tanned, her skin picks up colour well.  Her body has perfect curves, she is not thin by societal standards but all of her meat falls in the right places, and everything she puts on she looks hot.  She could wear a paper bag and turns heads, standing next to her I looked like a rag doll, at times it was rather depressing.

            The bar is actually pretty busy; the patio is packed, a sea of heads, with the new smoking ban.  Swirls of smoke hover overhead while the only breathable air is inside.  The music is rhythmic and we head to the dance floor our bodies flowing to the beat, within minutes we are sweating and laughing.  ‘Drink” I motion to Liz, I round my hand and put it to my mouth, she nods in agreement. 

“Where is Kay?”  She asks as we head to the bar.

“Probably at home, I didn’t ask her to come out so…I’m sure she has something to do. Where’s the boyfriend?”

“He went to camp.”

“Nice. Hi, can we get two whisky sours?  Thanks.”  The drinks are made quickly and I pay the bartender.  “Thank you,” Liz says as she takes a sip, she makes a face to illustrate how tart our drinks are.

“You having fun?”

“Yep!” She pulls me back to the dance floor.

            By the end of the night we both have had many drinks to wash away our week.  We leave to catch a cab, it’s pretty late and it is hard to find a cab, as many others are attempting to do the same. “Wanna walk somewhere to eat and call a cab to pick us up there?”  She agrees and we start to walk downtown.  In her drunken stupor she starts talking about school.  She just started her third year of University in History.  She wants to be a teacher. Liz has always had a great deal of patience, with a kind and caring personality; understanding a child’s wants and needs, rationalizing with them, she will be perfect at it.  Her patience astounds me, as I have none and am rather short tempered; I get that from our father.

“You like your professors?”

“Yeah, they are good.  I hate my seminars because I hate getting up and talking in front of the class and participating.  I’m always scared I’m going to say something stupid and everyone is gonna look at me like I’m a moron.”

“I’m sure they won’t, everyone is in the same boat, besides all that matters is the grade, you’ll never see these people again, so who cares. I never did, besides I’m sure people say dumber shit then you.”  She agrees with me as she calls for a cab with her cell phone.

            By the time we get in it’s shortly after three in the morning.  My mom is sleeping on the couch waiting for us, all bundled up in a blanket, her red hair all in a tuffle.  We wake her up and tell her to go to bed.  We pull out the sofa bed and turn off all the lights. I am exhausted.

            After breakfast my parents drop me off at my apartment.  I kiss my mom good bye and promise to call later on tonight.  I unlock the door and still no sign of Kay.

            Her bedroom door is ajar and I swing it open looking for signs of life.  Her room still seems untouched from days before, I decide to call her mom to see if she has heard from her.  After a few short exchanges I know she hasn’t.  Now I am worried.  Kay usually touches base if she is gone for more then a few days, besides she has a minor crisis every five minutes and calls me for some sort of advice, and I haven’t heard anything in the last 4 days or so.  I go to my computer to use the internet to get the police station.

            Four hours later a police office arrives.  I had once previously made the mistake of being without make up and in baggy Pajamas when one arrived at my house, when my sister’s car was stolen.  The cop was beautiful, tall, dark, brooding like a character out of a harlequin romance.  I swore never to make that mistake again.  This time I was wearing my tightest jeans that made my ass look out of this world.

“Hi, common in.” I unlock the door and let him in.  He sits on our arm chair and I sit next to him on the sofa.  He’s handsome but he does have a marriage band so I focus my attention back to what he is saying and not what he looks like.

“So when was the last time you saw her?”

“Ummm, she left late Tuesday night I think, it might have been Monday, whenever we had that rain storm.”

“Have you heard from her since?”

“No, I got an email from her Monday but I didn’t read it until Thursday.  And I had a message at work that was just static so it might have been her.  She could have had bad reception, she travels a lot for work so I didn’t really think anything of it.”

“Do you still have that email or message?”

“I deleted the message and I have the email, it’s at work, I can forward it to you on Monday if that helps.”

“Yeah sure, I’ll give you my address,” he rips off a corner of paper off his pad and scribbles it down quickly for me.  I take it from him, my hand brushes against him and I get goose bumps, ‘focus he’s married’ I keep telling myself.

“Where was she going Tuesday night?”

“I don’t know.”

“She didn’t tell you?”

“I didn’t ask, it’s none of my business.”

“Do you know anyone who might know, or do you have any idea of where she was going at all?”

“No, I thought she probably had a date or something, and then when she didn’t come home, I assumed it was a really hot date and thought nothing of it.”

“So she does this often?”

“Not often, but it wouldn’t be the first time she has.  I mean the first time she did it, I really freaked out but after awhile I kinda got used to it, and I thought nothing of it until now.”

“How long is she usually gone for?”

“One night, sometimes two at most.”

“What makes you think this is any different?”

“Well I can’t get a hold of her, and usually by now she has called me or something.  I called her mom and she hasn’t heard from her either so I started to get worried about it.”

“What is her mom’s number?  Or anyone else that she is close too?  Also her work.”

I provide him with the numbers that he is looking for, and a few other details.  He checks out her room, she would be so pissed if she knows that I let a hot cop in her bedroom in that state.  There is nothing sexier then a man in uniform, well an in shape, young man in uniform.  I stand in the doorway as he looks at her things, he looks at her pictures on the wall, and laughs at the one where it looks like she is sticking her tongue in my ear.  He looks at me and I smile.  “Can I take one?” 

“Sure, just not that one!”  I find him a good one of her, standing alone holding a wine bottle. 

            A short time later I escort him out of the apartment and he gives me a business card before he leaves.  I take it and put it on the fridge with a magnet.  “Don’t worry, it’s probably nothing.  She’s young, probably just having fun and lost track of things.” 

I smile and wave good bye.  I want to believe him but a shiver runs down my spine and my gut flips uneasily.  I make sure to lock the door and the pad lock.