that bastard…”
“No! I’m not that stupid, Ally. It’s something else. He disappeared.”
Ally blinked. “He disappeared?”
“Sometime over the summer, I guess. He just vanished one day. The police came and interviewed me about him. I told them I wouldn’t mind if he got run over by a cement truck, but I don’t know what happened to him.”
Ally grunted. “He was supposed to have his sentencing in the first week of September, wasn’t he?”
“Yeah.”
“He probably ran for it. To the Yukon, if he’s smart.” Ally paused. “Except he’s not smart. So he could be anywhere.”
“Yeah, but he didn’t take any of his stuff with him,” said Mary. “The police told me. His stereo, his magazines, his clothes. That crappy old truck of his was still there. He just vanished.”
“Wow.” Ally thought about it. “You know what? I bet he went someplace by himself and accidentally overdosed. They’ll probably find his body in forty or fifty years.”
“I hope he did,” said Mary. “Good riddance.”
“Yeah,” said Ally, remembering their fight on that May night. And that strange flash of white light that had overpowered Nathan. “Good riddance. I guess a lot of people have been disappearing. You be careful.”
“You too,” said Mary. “But I don’t have to tell you that. Anyone tries to kidnap you, they’ll get a broken arm for their efforts.” She giggled. “Isn’t this just awful? I called you up to say happy birthday and we wind up talking about Nathan and kidnappings and drugs.”
Ally snorted. “A happy birthday, indeed.”
“Oh! I almost forgot. Are your parents doing anything for your birthday?”
“Yeah.” Ally shifted the phone to her other ear. “We’re going out to eat sometime this week. Thursday night, I think, after Dad’s last class.” She hesitated. “My parents don’t mind that you’re still living with them, do they?”
“What?” said Mary. “Oh, no, no. It’s great. It’s…a better home life than I’ve ever had. You’re really lucky, Ally.”
“I know,” said Ally.
“But you know, I thought they would be getting irritable by now,” said Mary. “But they’re not. Just between you and me, I think your Dad secretly wants another daughter, but your Mom doesn’t want to have more kids.”
Ally laughed. “She has a horror of childbirth.”
“And I think they really miss you, too,” said Mary. “So I guess it’s empty nest syndrome or whatever. Your dad talks to me all the time. And your mom gives me stuff from her books to proofread.”
Ally looked at her empty dorm room. “I miss being at home. I thought I’d really like living in the dorm…but it hasn’t worked out that way. Maybe I’ll move back home after this semester.”
“That would be cool,” said Mary. “Oh! Before I forget again. Let’s go out to supper.”
“Tonight?” said Ally. “All right. I don’t have anything I have to do tonight. Do you know where I live?”
“Yup,” said Mary. “I’ll be by at…six? Is that okay?”
“That’s great,” said Ally. She could get five hours of sleep. “I’ll see you then.”
“Okay. Bye.”
“Bye,” said Ally. She ended the call and promptly fell asleep.
###
Ally waited in front of the dorm’s front doors, humming to herself. She turned, examined her reflection in the plate glass of the door, and checked her hair. She had showered and changed after her nap, putting on khakis, a white buttoned shirt, and a denim jacket. Mary wouldn’t care what she looked like. But Ally hadn’t gone out and had fun for what seemed like an eternity.
Besides, sometimes it was fun to look nice.
Shoes clicked against concrete, and Mary walked up the sidewalk, squinting at the dorm.
Mary looked up, grinned, and hugged her.
“Ally! Happy birthday!”
“Thanks,” said Ally.
“Do you really live on the fifth floor?” said Mary, stepping back. She still looked too thin, having never gained back
“No! I’m not that stupid, Ally. It’s something else. He disappeared.”
Ally blinked. “He disappeared?”
“Sometime over the summer, I guess. He just vanished one day. The police came and interviewed me about him. I told them I wouldn’t mind if he got run over by a cement truck, but I don’t know what happened to him.”
Ally grunted. “He was supposed to have his sentencing in the first week of September, wasn’t he?”
“Yeah.”
“He probably ran for it. To the Yukon, if he’s smart.” Ally paused. “Except he’s not smart. So he could be anywhere.”
“Yeah, but he didn’t take any of his stuff with him,” said Mary. “The police told me. His stereo, his magazines, his clothes. That crappy old truck of his was still there. He just vanished.”
“Wow.” Ally thought about it. “You know what? I bet he went someplace by himself and accidentally overdosed. They’ll probably find his body in forty or fifty years.”
“I hope he did,” said Mary. “Good riddance.”
“Yeah,” said Ally, remembering their fight on that May night. And that strange flash of white light that had overpowered Nathan. “Good riddance. I guess a lot of people have been disappearing. You be careful.”
“You too,” said Mary. “But I don’t have to tell you that. Anyone tries to kidnap you, they’ll get a broken arm for their efforts.” She giggled. “Isn’t this just awful? I called you up to say happy birthday and we wind up talking about Nathan and kidnappings and drugs.”
Ally snorted. “A happy birthday, indeed.”
“Oh! I almost forgot. Are your parents doing anything for your birthday?”
“Yeah.” Ally shifted the phone to her other ear. “We’re going out to eat sometime this week. Thursday night, I think, after Dad’s last class.” She hesitated. “My parents don’t mind that you’re still living with them, do they?”
“What?” said Mary. “Oh, no, no. It’s great. It’s…a better home life than I’ve ever had. You’re really lucky, Ally.”
“I know,” said Ally.
“But you know, I thought they would be getting irritable by now,” said Mary. “But they’re not. Just between you and me, I think your Dad secretly wants another daughter, but your Mom doesn’t want to have more kids.”
Ally laughed. “She has a horror of childbirth.”
“And I think they really miss you, too,” said Mary. “So I guess it’s empty nest syndrome or whatever. Your dad talks to me all the time. And your mom gives me stuff from her books to proofread.”
Ally looked at her empty dorm room. “I miss being at home. I thought I’d really like living in the dorm…but it hasn’t worked out that way. Maybe I’ll move back home after this semester.”
“That would be cool,” said Mary. “Oh! Before I forget again. Let’s go out to supper.”
“Tonight?” said Ally. “All right. I don’t have anything I have to do tonight. Do you know where I live?”
“Yup,” said Mary. “I’ll be by at…six? Is that okay?”
“That’s great,” said Ally. She could get five hours of sleep. “I’ll see you then.”
“Okay. Bye.”
“Bye,” said Ally. She ended the call and promptly fell asleep.
###
Ally waited in front of the dorm’s front doors, humming to herself. She turned, examined her reflection in the plate glass of the door, and checked her hair. She had showered and changed after her nap, putting on khakis, a white buttoned shirt, and a denim jacket. Mary wouldn’t care what she looked like. But Ally hadn’t gone out and had fun for what seemed like an eternity.
Besides, sometimes it was fun to look nice.
Shoes clicked against concrete, and Mary walked up the sidewalk, squinting at the dorm.
Mary looked up, grinned, and hugged her.
“Ally! Happy birthday!”
“Thanks,” said Ally.
“Do you really live on the fifth floor?” said Mary, stepping back. She still looked too thin, having never gained back
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