answered her last question and asked one of my own. “Have you seen Becky?”
“Not this morning, but she was here last night.” She donned her glasses, picked up the logbook, and slowly shook her head. “She hasn’t signed out.”
I excused myself and went to find my friend. She wasn’t in her room or in the shower. Probably at breakfast.
I entered my room and gathered clean clothes and items I needed to wash away yesterday’s grim. But first, I needed to call Chuck’s workplace.
Mr. Fisher answered, “Fisher Appliance.”
Normally I would’ve tried to disguise my voice, but what did it matter? He’s out on a service call was the response I expected. He’s not here today, wasn’t.
After a quick shower, I headed back downstairs to tape a note on Becky’s door. I made it halfway down the hall when she called, “Morgan, wait up.”
We hugged for a brief moment. “Becky, I’m so sorry for the hurtful things Mom said to you and for all the problems I’ve caused.”
“I don’t give a hoot what your mother thinks of me. She’s the one who should be concerned about what people think of her. I’ve never seen anyone slapped so hard. Are you okay? Did they, you know, hurt you?”
“No. Yes, but not in the way you’re thinking. Not with a belt.”
We walked into her room and relaxed on her bed. I explained what happened after my parents got me home. “I expected the worst. It was pretty remarkable the way things worked out. A miracle.”
“Why did you get in the car with your parents?”
“What choice did I have?”
Becky shrugged. “I don’t know, but I never would’ve gone with them.”
Heat rose from my neck to my face. She didn’t understand. How could she? I hated myself for not having the courage to take a stand. There was no way I could explain how fear cripples. How I felt like a cracked vase, fragile, filled with hope that seeped away like an elusive dream.
Becky snapped her fingers in front of my face. “Morgan!”
I glanced around the room. “What?”
“You’re tripping. Where’d you go?”
I ran my hand across my forehead trying to regain my earlier wits. I needed Chuck.
“Becky, would you do me a favor and call Fisher Appliance? When I called earlier, Mr. Fisher told me Chuck wasn’t at work, but I didn’t think to ask why.”
“Sure, where’s the number?”
I reached into my pocket, removed the slip of paper with the number, and handed it over.
Becky placed the call. Her conversation with Mr. Fisher didn’t provide any more answers than we already had, so I decided to have her call Chuck’s grandmother.
Becky glanced at me as she hung up the phone then took a deep breath. “Now don’t get upset, but Chuck quit his job this morning.”
“What? What do you mean he quit his job?”
She removed her hand from the payphone. “That’s all his grandmother said. He gave his notice and took the rest of the day off. She doesn’t know where he is.”
We returned to Becky’s room. I wrung my hands and tried to make sense out of the latest information, but my mind couldn’t untangle all the unanswered questions.
“Hey, why don’t we go get something to eat?” Becky grabbed me by my elbows and gave a light jerk. “Come on, Morgan, you can’t sit around here all day. You won’t do anything but work yourself into a tailspin.”
“Thanks, Becky, but I’m too exhausted. Things are not making sense. Maybe I’ll go to my room and lie down for a while. Not sleep, but rest. Come get me if you hear anything.”
#
I felt a light nudge on my shoulder before hearing Becky’s voice. “Morgan, I need to talk to you. Wake up.”
Sliding my legs off the bed, I sat up rubbing my eyes. “Have you heard from Chuck?”
“Not a word, and it’s almost four thirty, but I did get in touch with Kyle. He hasn’t seen Chuck and didn’t know anything about him quitting his job. But he’ll see what he can find out and call us back at six thirty.”
“It’s not like
“Not this morning, but she was here last night.” She donned her glasses, picked up the logbook, and slowly shook her head. “She hasn’t signed out.”
I excused myself and went to find my friend. She wasn’t in her room or in the shower. Probably at breakfast.
I entered my room and gathered clean clothes and items I needed to wash away yesterday’s grim. But first, I needed to call Chuck’s workplace.
Mr. Fisher answered, “Fisher Appliance.”
Normally I would’ve tried to disguise my voice, but what did it matter? He’s out on a service call was the response I expected. He’s not here today, wasn’t.
After a quick shower, I headed back downstairs to tape a note on Becky’s door. I made it halfway down the hall when she called, “Morgan, wait up.”
We hugged for a brief moment. “Becky, I’m so sorry for the hurtful things Mom said to you and for all the problems I’ve caused.”
“I don’t give a hoot what your mother thinks of me. She’s the one who should be concerned about what people think of her. I’ve never seen anyone slapped so hard. Are you okay? Did they, you know, hurt you?”
“No. Yes, but not in the way you’re thinking. Not with a belt.”
We walked into her room and relaxed on her bed. I explained what happened after my parents got me home. “I expected the worst. It was pretty remarkable the way things worked out. A miracle.”
“Why did you get in the car with your parents?”
“What choice did I have?”
Becky shrugged. “I don’t know, but I never would’ve gone with them.”
Heat rose from my neck to my face. She didn’t understand. How could she? I hated myself for not having the courage to take a stand. There was no way I could explain how fear cripples. How I felt like a cracked vase, fragile, filled with hope that seeped away like an elusive dream.
Becky snapped her fingers in front of my face. “Morgan!”
I glanced around the room. “What?”
“You’re tripping. Where’d you go?”
I ran my hand across my forehead trying to regain my earlier wits. I needed Chuck.
“Becky, would you do me a favor and call Fisher Appliance? When I called earlier, Mr. Fisher told me Chuck wasn’t at work, but I didn’t think to ask why.”
“Sure, where’s the number?”
I reached into my pocket, removed the slip of paper with the number, and handed it over.
Becky placed the call. Her conversation with Mr. Fisher didn’t provide any more answers than we already had, so I decided to have her call Chuck’s grandmother.
Becky glanced at me as she hung up the phone then took a deep breath. “Now don’t get upset, but Chuck quit his job this morning.”
“What? What do you mean he quit his job?”
She removed her hand from the payphone. “That’s all his grandmother said. He gave his notice and took the rest of the day off. She doesn’t know where he is.”
We returned to Becky’s room. I wrung my hands and tried to make sense out of the latest information, but my mind couldn’t untangle all the unanswered questions.
“Hey, why don’t we go get something to eat?” Becky grabbed me by my elbows and gave a light jerk. “Come on, Morgan, you can’t sit around here all day. You won’t do anything but work yourself into a tailspin.”
“Thanks, Becky, but I’m too exhausted. Things are not making sense. Maybe I’ll go to my room and lie down for a while. Not sleep, but rest. Come get me if you hear anything.”
#
I felt a light nudge on my shoulder before hearing Becky’s voice. “Morgan, I need to talk to you. Wake up.”
Sliding my legs off the bed, I sat up rubbing my eyes. “Have you heard from Chuck?”
“Not a word, and it’s almost four thirty, but I did get in touch with Kyle. He hasn’t seen Chuck and didn’t know anything about him quitting his job. But he’ll see what he can find out and call us back at six thirty.”
“It’s not like
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