Debbie

“Crap!” I groaned as I watched my bowling ball roll into the gutter for what must have been the third frame in a row. I was starting to remember why I only bowled about once a year. I was terrible at it.

I walked back to my where my friends were all laughing and pointing at me.

“You have done this before, right?” Mark asked. “Do we need to pull up the bumpers in the gutters for you? If we tell them you are only nine I think they will do that for us.”

Lara hit him on the shoulder. “You are such a jerk.”

“That’s why you love me,” Mark said.

“I don’t think it is,” Lara shot back. “Actually, it might be. I can’t remember why. If you find out let me know.”

“Just watch the master at work,” Greg said grabbing his ball and striding to the lane. He tried to put a spin on the ball the way the pros do (and he totally had no clue how to do this) but somehow he managed to get a seven ten split. The worst split ever, but at least he knocked down some pins.

I took a bite of pizza and laughed. I was doing my best to get in a good mood. I hadn’t heard from Paul in over two days and I was getting worried. Lara and the gang suggested we all go bowling that night. It seemed like forever since we’d all hung out together.

And I was having some fun.

But my mind kept returning to Paul.

“Still nothing about Paul?” Lara asked.

“No, and I’m getting worried. Surely, he would tell me what is going on with his dad. I know he is tied up with that and I can’t imagine exactly what he is going through, but he could at least send me a quick text or something. I don’t even know if he got there safely.”

“That is strange,” Lara said. “But Paul is a very unpredictable guy. I’m sure everything is ok. He is probably just dealing with his dad being sick. I’m sure if anything bad happened you would have heard something from him.”

“Right, unless his dad passed away and he is too upset to talk to me about it,” I said. “God, I hope that didn’t happen. Paul didn’t really know how serious it was or at least he didn’t want to tell me. And I barely had time to talk to him before he rushed out.”

“Give it some more time,” Lara said. “But don’t keep bothering him. If he wants to talk, he will.”

I nodded.

I’d sent Paul several texts messages and I’d even left a voicemail. I wasn’t going to contact him again for a while.

It was up to him now. But it was tearing me apart not knowing what was going on, how he was, and how his dad was.

I tried to just put it out of my mind and enjoy the evening with my friends. They were all so goofy and fun to be around. I loved Paul dearly, but I did miss hanging with my friends as much as I used to. Paul and I still did things with them when we could, but we valued our alone time together as well.

After a few more games of bowling, all of which I barely cracked a sixty in my score, we all decided to call it a night. I was tired and even though it was a Friday after the week I’d had I just wanted to sink into my cozy bed and sleep until noon the next day. I was glad I didn’t have to go in tomorrow. Sometimes during hectic times I had to work half days on Saturday, but with the quarterlies winding down I would actually be able to have a free weekend.

When I got home I took a quick shower and then put on an oversized shirt and my underwear. It was what I’d always found most comfortable to sleep in, well, except for when I was with Paul. Then I usually slept naked.

I tried to shut out thoughts of Paul entirely. I was exhausted.

I woke the next morning about eleven feeling very refreshed. I could smell my mother’s pancakes, the scent wafting up the stairs to my room. Oh, I loved it when my mother made breakfast on the weekends. It might have been one of the main reasons I still lived with my parents.

I reached for my phone instinctively to see if Paul had texted me or called.

Except my phone wasn’t on the nightstand. I always plugged it in and put it on the nightstand before laying down. I’d done that last night, right? I thought so…

I rolled out of bed and check behind and under the nightstand to see if my phone had fallen off and maybe I’d been so tired I just forgot to plug it in.

But it was nowhere to be found.

I checked the pockets of the jeans I was wearing the night before and I checked my jacket pocket. I’d had it last night at the bowling alley. I remembered that.

I quickly got dressed and went outside to check my car. After searching high and low and on the ground leading to the house I deduced that I did not have my phone.

“Mom, let me use your phone a second,” I said when I returned to the kitchen. “I think I left mine at the bowling alley. I want to see if anyone has turned it in.”

“Ok, sweetie,” My mother said handing me her phone.

I called the bowling alley and a young woman answered. After telling her I’d left my phone there she put me on hold a few minutes while she went to check to see if anyone had reported it or turned it in.

She came back a few minutes later and said that they didn’t have any reports of it. It wasn’t in their lost and found bin either.

“Great,” I said. “Now, I’ve lost my phone.”

“I’m sure it will turn up,” My mom said. “Now sit down and eat your pancakes before they get cold.”

“It won’t turn up,” I said. “I had it last night there and I’ve checked everywhere here. It’s gone. Someone must have stolen it.”

My mom picked up her phone and dialed my number.

“The ringer is turned on, right?” She asked.

“Yes,” I said.

We listened intently to see if we heard my phone ringing anywhere.

We didn’t.

“Well, I’ll have to take care of this,” I said. “It’s locked, but if someone figures out the password then they will have all my social media and it will become a huge headache I don’t want to deal with.”

After scarfing down some breakfast I called my phone provider and told them I’d lost my phone and went about getting a new phone number. Then I went ahead and changed all of my passwords to my social media and email.

That would at least keep my information safe I figured, if someone had decided for whatever reason to steal my phone.

I went with Lara down to the Verizon store to pick up a new phone. She helped me pick out one of the newer models. I was actually kind of excited about it because I’d been toying with the idea of getting an updated model. This just gave me an excuse to do it.

Plus, I was able to stop worrying about Paul for a few hours.

Paul.

I suddenly had a horrible thought.

I didn’t know his number by heart. Like everyone nowadays I just put it in my phone and then had him on my contact list, but I did not remember his number.

“Shit!” I said as the realization hit me.

“What?” Lara asked.

We were in her car driving back to her house. We’d planned to hang out and enjoy a lazy Saturday of Netflix and junk food.

“I don’t have Paul’s number anymore,” I said. “Do you have it?”

“No…” Lara said. “You know Paul and technology. I’m surprised he even has a phone.”

“Right? And he doesn’t have any social media accounts. He writes on a typewriter for God’s sake. I have no way of getting in touch with him.”

“Relax,” Lara said. “Surely he will find a way to get hold of you, when he is ready. He is going through God knows what right now. Let the man be and give him some space. It will all turn out ok.”

“I wish I shared your optimism,” I said.

I really felt utterly hopeless. Paul… where was he?