Brilliant … But Bouncy

I Don’t Know Where Shane Is.

I got a missed call and a text message from Shane one day while I was at work:

“Play practice was canceled. Please text or call me when you get the chance. I’m going over to Safeway.”

He’d already missed the bus, but I was working and couldn’t get him right away. In fact, I didn’t get his text until 15 minutes after he sent it. When I finally did get back to him, I told him I’d be there around 4:00 and asked if he could wait for me.

“Sure,” he texted back. “What time will you be done?”

I didn’t get that text right away – so I never answered it.

Meanwhile, I also had a missed call and text from Dylan, who was staying after school as well.

Before leaving work, I texted Dylan and Shane together. I asked Dylan to find Shane, and said that I would meet them at 4:00. The conversation was about eight texts long, and Shane didn’t respond to either of us.

I thought nothing of it.

“On my way!” I said cheerily. “Let me know where to meet you!” Then I drove to meet them.

When I arrived, I checked my phone for an answer from the boys. I had only one text, and it was from Dylan:

“I don’t know where Shane is.”

My stomach lurched. I looked at the clock. It had been an hour since Shane’s last text.

I scanned back through the texts. The last thing I’d heard was that Shane was at the Safeway. It had been nearly an hour since he’d texted me or Dylan.

Driving through the shopping center, I thought I saw him. I drove over to yell – but it wasn’t him. I looked around. He wasn’t in any of his normal meeting places.

I drove around the parking lot again, starting to panic. I called Shane’s cell phone, but he didn’t answer. It rang four times, and went to voice mail. Three times.

Shane’s voice mailbox was recorded years ago, and his voice was young and high. “Shane’s not with his phone right now….”

This is the last time I’ll hear his voice, I thought, and it’s not even his voice anymore!

I was on my second go-round in the parking lot, now nearly hysterical. I was frantically scouring the world around me, looking for … something: evidence of a kidnapping, a body lying in the parking lot, a familiar face….

I called Shane’s phone for the fourth time.

“Hello?” Shane said.

“You’re okay!” I shrieked.

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Dylan couldn’t find you and you didn’t answer your phone and I thought you were at Safeway!” I wailed, all in one quick breath. “Where are you?”

“I’m back at Safeway,” Shane said calmly. “Sorry, I wasn’t looking at my phone. I was doing homework.”

Then, finally, I breathed.

I looked at the clock. Shane had been “missing” for a total of four minutes.