The Daily Record
A Short Story: The Meeting With Mary, Part III
Leah stayed at the house all afternoon just in case her mom came back, but Mary did not return. At around 4:30 p.m. her dad pulled up in the drive. Mary got up and walked to the door to greet him.
“Oh, Daddy,” Leah cried. “I’m so afraid.”
“I know, honey,” her dad said, “so am I.”
Leah and Charles sat down and began to discuss possibilities of what might have happened when the front door opened and Charlie walked in.
“Hi son,” Charles said.”Why don’t you sit down? Leah and I were just talking about the situation.”
“Does it appear that there was a struggle at all anywhere in the house?” Charlie asked.
“No,” Leah responded. “It just seems like mother disappeared.”
“Well,” her dad stated, “she didn’t disappear. She either walked away on her own or someone has taken her somewhere.”
The doorbell rang and it was Detective Jones. Charles got up and let him in.
“Good afternoon folks,” the detective said. “I’m Detective Brian Jones with the city police department.”
“Thank you for coming so quickly,” Charles said. “I’m Charles Gilford, Mary’s husband, and these are my children, Leah and Charlie.”
“OK, folks,” Detective Jones said, “I need to know everything there is to know about your mother and these unusual circumstances surrounding her disappearance.”
One by one Charles, Leah and Charlie offered information and answered all questions that Detective Jones asked of them.
“Well,” Detective Jones said, “I think I’ve got what I need from you for the time being. We’ll put out an APB on your mother and notify the media as to her disappearance. It will help if you will notify all of the neighbors within a six block area and also have 8-by-10 picture posters copied of your mother describing her height, weight, coloring, features, etc., and include this phone number at the police department for anyone that might have seen her or might have any information about her. Then get some volunteers and start posting her picture all over town.”
Leah and Charlie got busy making the posters and calling possible volunteers.
Lost And Confused
Mary stopped and suddenly turned around. She did not know where she was. She was extremely confused and did not recognize anything about her surroundings.
“I must get home,” Mary said to herself, “but where is my home?”
Mary thought for a moment and it seemed to her that she lived in Florida and had somehow gotten lost. She thought to herself that she must get back to Florida. Mary began walking in the direction of the interstate highway. When she came near an overpass there was a truck stop and Mary made her way to the restaurant and went inside. She began to look around and finally noticed a woman truck driver sitting in a booth and eating her supper. Mary walked over to the woman and asked if she could sit down.
“Sure you can sit down,” the woman said. “It’s a free country ain’t it?”
“Are you a truck driver?” Mary asked the woman.
“Yep,” the woman said, “that’s what I do all day every day, drive that darn truck.”
“Well,” Mary said, “I don’t want to bother you but I’m trying to get back to Florida where I live. I was wondering if you might be headed that way.”
“Nope,” the woman said. “I‘m taking a load to Georgia, but I’ll be glad to carry you as far as I can.”
“That would sure help me out,” Mary said.
“You got any money?” the woman asked.
Mary began to search her pockets but did not find any money.
“No, I’m sorry,” Mary said. “I don’t have any money.”
“Have you had anything to eat?” the woman asked.
“No, but I’m not too hungry,” Mary said.
The woman motioned for the waitress to come over.
“Tell her what you want to eat,” the woman said to Mary. “We’ll get you fed and then will hit the road.”
To be continued…
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