It was my birthday today. I’m not big on birthdays. They just remind me that I should probably seriously look into face fillers and actually use my yoga mat. My roommate was excited to bring home my gift, so I was excited, too. He works as a live-in care giver 4 days a week, and he’s home for 3 in a row. It’s a great gig for him, and it’s like I don’t even have a roommate half the time. Cheap and I get privacy.
That being said, I love to hang out with him. He normally comes home on Wednesdays around noon and let’s me know he’s on his way. He normally calls to see if he needs to go by the store for anything on the way. He called a little early, and said he was passing the house with the peacocks in the yard. That means he’s close by, and about to pass the corner store. I start asking if he can get me a canned coffee, as I’m letting my new dog out to use the restroom.
The problem is his car is parked outside. He only has 1 vehicle, and would not take a bike that distance, if he could ride one. I technically live in a small house behind him, but I use their kitchen, because I cook for both of us when he’s home and take care of things when he’s at work. I’m thinking bro came home early to surprise me, and was probably just in there wrapping my gift real quick.
So, still on the phone I say, “A can of coffee if they have one, but if not no worries.” So he doesn’t feel bad, because he likely does not have one. He’s already home. Duh.
I say goodbye and say, “See you in 20,” just to play it up a bit. I RUN to the backdoor of his house and yell, “GOT YOU!”
He’s not in the kitchen or living room. He’s not in his room. He’s not in the one bathroom. He’s not in the spare bedroom, which is basically a storage unit. He’s not in my room. That’s all the rooms.
I walk out front and the car is still there. He’s not inside. It’s locked. I briefly think I should look in the trunk. He broke his spare key. That’s delusional, I listen to too much true crime. I go back in his house and yell, “Where the HELL are you?”
I go back to my little house. Nothing. I check the sheds. Locked.
At this point, I go sit on the front porch of his house. It has a shade, and I want to be close to the road. It feels a little safer? Maybe I’ll see him coming from the neighbor’s house? Because they called him over? We don’t know them, but that happens sometimes? People talk to their neighbors?
I hear him yell, “AMY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” from what sounded like my house. I start to walk towards the back of the property, and another car pulls up. The same car. From a distance, I can tell they are both the same kind of white Toyota. You don’t really need to know what year or whatever when they looked exactly the same. Down to the wrong color replacement for the left mirror. I hear my roommate yelling at me from my house.
My roommate also gets out of the car and yells, “HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMY! They had the coffee!” And holds it up like a trophy. Then he slowly turns his head to notice there are 2 of his car.
I went over to tell him what I could, but I’m afraid to get too close. It’s him, but it also sounds like he’s in my house.
He got worked up at me being cautious, and he was freaked out. He said he was going to go look. He hasn’t come out. It’s been a few hours. I’m sitting on his front porch with my dog. I’m afraid to go check, but I’m not sure what I’m afraid of. I feel like I should call the police, but what do you tell them? They’ll think I’m on drugs.
I have to go look.