Finding Carrie by C. E. Snyder Page A

hope things get better. So what about your mother. Do they have any idea where she is?”
    “No, I called my brother this morning on my way here. They still don’t know where the guy is who took my mom. Oh, guess what? Carrie dug the crap out of the man, and they found skin and blood in her fingernails. That’s my girl, you know, always trying to keep everyone safe.” He smiled to himself, proud of his wife, but sad at the same time that she didn’t remember anything.
    “Gosh, I hope they find her soon, safe and alive.” Maggie patted him on his arm.
    “Me too,” he said, straightening up at the directors call to start the half dress rehearsal.
     

     
    Without him knowing, a girl named Nikki came around the inner curtain. She had had a secret crush on Isaac for a few months. She knew he was married—she had been there—but she thought maybe this was her chance to get him to look at her. She would wait until after rehearsal, and then she was going to make her move on him. She watched him get to his spot on the stage with a huge smile on his face then went to her spot.
     

     
    Carrie sat in the chair at the restaurant, looking around the room. “Do you remember this place?” Amy asked, watching her look around.
    “No,” Carrie said. It looked familiar, as everything did, but she didn’t recognize anything.
    “Oh, well, this is one of your favorite places to eat. You just love the salad they have here,” she said, pointing to the salad on the menu.
    “Well, if that is what I like, then that is what I’ll have,” Carrie said, looking up at Amy. The waiter came and took their order. They sat in silence for a few moments. Amy was watching Carrie’s face as she took in her surroundings. She was beginning to miss her friend with her bubbly attitude and sense of humor. This person sitting in front of her looked like her friend and talked like her, but it wasn’t her friend. Something was missing, and that was the part of her friend that she missed.
    Without warning, Amy heard music coming from Carrie’s purse. “Carrie, your phone is ringing.” Carrie looked at her like she didn’t know what she was talking about. “Your purse.” Carrie looked down at it. Her purse was sitting on the floor. She bent down to pick it up. She reached into it take the thing that was making noise out of it. “It’s Isaac; I can tell by the music,” Amy said. Carrie held it in the air. “Answer it.” As Amy said that, she reached and pushed the button. Carrie put it up to her ear.
    “Hello,” Carrie said into it.
    “Hello, sweetheart,” Isaac answered. Something about the way he talked to her sent tingles down her spine.
    “Hi, Isaac,” she said.
    “How are you? Are you at lunch with Amy?” he asked.
    “Yes we are at…” She broke off, waiting for Amy to tell her where they were.
    “Déjeuner,” Amy supplied in a whisper.
    “Day-june-ay—something like that,” she said into the phone.
    “Oh, Déjeuner, that is one of your favorite places to eat. Are you having the salad?” Isaac asked.
    “Yes, how did you know?” she asked, looking at Amy with surprise.
    “Well, I guess I just know my wife,” he said. “You know, it means lunch in French.”
    “ French ? I’m trying to deal with Japanese, now there is French?” Carrie asked, shocked.
    “Yeah, there is. I just wanted to call to see how you’re doing. I have to get back to rehearsal,” he said.
    “Okay,” she said.
    “I’ll see you soon,” Isaac said.
    “Bye,” she said.
    “Bye,” he said. He heard her hang up the phone. “I love you,” he whispered. He slipped the phone into his pocket. He wasn’t wearing his costume anymore, but his director wanted to go over some more things before the show opened tomorrow and to go over the whole show just one more time. He turned around and almost ran into Nikki. “Oh, sorry,” he said as he tried to walk past her.
    “It’s okay. Wait,” she said, getting his attention.
    “What?” he