Missing Mom

I woke up out of a nice deep sleep at around 4:00am, shaken to my core. Just thinking it was an intense dream, I tried to go back to sleep until the dreaded alarm clock went off and I hit snooze for the tenth time. Ughhh...time to get in the shower. Something didn't feel right about this morning though. I felt sick to my stomach and weak. Dreading the 14 hour day that would be put in at the office, and knowing that I was already running late, I let my cell phone ring and intended for it to go to voice mail. Wait...it is 7:00 am and my cell phone is ringing already...hmmm maybe it was my manager letting me know what needed to be done that day. I glanced over at it, "Rachel." What in the world...she is two hours in time behind me, what is wrong, I thought.

That was the last sane thought I had for the day and for the following 4 months.

It wasn't my friend Rachel, but my mom's co-worker and best friend Rachel. I had forgotten that I put her in my phone after she doggie-sat my beagle. She was frantic but calm saying "have you spoke to your mom today?" WHAT!?!? it is 7:00 am, no I haven't had the chance to call her today. I politely said no, but asked if there was a problem. Yes, there was....a bigger problem than I ever imagined I would have in my lifetime. My mother had not shown up to work, was an hour late and was nowhere to be found.

I panicked....called my dad and explained the situation. He was on his way to a business trip and said that mom left the house before he did and wasn't sure why she wouldn't be there. Was this real....was I dreaming....did I just need to go back to sleep?

Being the total over-reactor that I am, I freaked out. Called my manager and said the strangest sentence that I have ever said in my life...."I can't come in today, my mom has gone missing and I am not sure what is going on." Looking back on that conversation, I am sure that he had a million thoughts going through his head, but mostly, I felt like an idiot. Surely I was overreacting and would be laughing at myself in an hour right....mom's just don't disappear. I would later learn that they do.