"Carmen"

     Carmen circled the block, driving up James Street for the fifth time, and then headed back down Shotwell Park to Bessie Davis Hudson's house.  She pulled into Bessie's driveway and left her red vintage Mustang running.  Bessie's screen door was open, and Carmen knocked.  Bessie came to the door, her face deep lined with concern.  Carmen pushed the screen when Bessie unlocked it and followed behind her.  Carmen began to pass back and forth through Bessie's living room   "Did you  find her, dear?"  "No, Miss Bessie, I didn't find her.  I drove all the way down James Street and through downtown.  I've been up and down Tealle Ave. a bunch of times.   I even went to the Shop City Mall and checked every store and restaurant, including the McDonalds.  None of the clerks I talked to remember seeing Erica."  "I'm sorry to bother you, dear, but I know you're her best friend and I thought you might know where she was."  Bessie sat down in her comfy chair and took her shoes off.  As she reached down to rub her swollen ankles, Bessie watched Carmen's feet as they began to mat a path through her worn living room carpet.  She really needed to scrap some money together to replace it.  Maybe it was time to redecorate, Bessie thought, as she surveyed the room. Most of the furnishings were over 50 years old, some from Bessie's mother's and grandmother's homes!  She had brought all the furniture up with her from Darlington, South Carolina, when she moved to Syracuse.  Bessie's eyes caught up with Carmen's as Carmen turned back towards Bessie on her path across the carpet.
     "She was looking for you, my dear, at the Book Woman Club Meeting.  She told us she was supposed to get a ride from you.  She waited for about fifteen minutes to see if you might stop by and pick her up even though you didn't make it to the meeting and then she took off walking."  Bessie sat up from her feet and placed her hand over her heart.  "I didn't see any reason to say something to her about walking! It was a beautiful, sunny day!  Lot's of people out and about!"  Bessie placed her other hand over the hand that rested on her heart.  "This neighborhood is usually so safe!"    Carmen stopped her pacing and knelt in front of Bessie.  "Now, Ms. Bessie!  Everything is going to be alright!  We're going to find Erica.  This is not your fault!  You had no reason to think that she wouldn't be safe walking home.  Erica is a grown woman, Ms. Bessie."  "I know she's grown, dear, but being grown doesn't mean we don't need a little mothering!  It's just that she seems to be such a fragile little thing.  All those children...and that husband of hers..."  Bessie's tongue clucked at the air.  "I've called all the hospitals and they say they don't have a record of an Erica Gonzales being admitted to any of them.  I am really worried, dear.  We need to find her before that husband finds her!"  "If this is anyone's fault, it's mine. I should have been at the meeting!  I should have been here to take her home!"  Carmen stood up, turning her back to Bessie and looked out the living room window at the fading day's light.  "Tell me, what exactly did Pedro say to you?"
     Bessie paused, the frown on her face reflecting her distasteful interaction with Erica's husband.  "Well, he drove up at about 5:00 and sat in the driveway, blowing his horn!  Just kept blowing it, over and over again like some rude teenager picking up a date he has no respect for!  I finally went to the door, when I realized that the horn was blowing from my driveway!  Neighbors were looking out the windows and the gentleman next door, Mr. Thompson, came out of his house and asked me if I was alright!  Such a nice man, mows my lawn for me without charging any thing, and he takes my trash cans down to the street every Monday night without me asking the favor!  I told him that I was alright and I walked over to that van.  It was just full of children!  Erica's husband jumped out of the van demanded that I have Carmen come out of the house and get in the car!  I told him that she had long left and he demanded to know the time.  I told him that she left walking sometime after 3:00 and he snapped that she was supposed to be home at 3:30.  He demanded that I tell him where she went!  I told him that as far as I knew, she was heading home. Then he took a step towards me, shook his fist at me and yelled that if she were at home, he wouldn't be talking to some old Biddie about where his wife was!  He ordered me to tell her that she better, please excuse the language, dear, get her a-s-s home before he found her!  He jumped in the car, screamed for the kids to shut-up, slammed the car into drive and backed out the driveway right over my bed of marigolds!  I was so mad that I was shaking!  By then Mr. Thompson had walked over to stand next to me, afraid that man was going to attack me, and he helped me into the house!"  "He didn't say where he was going next to look for her?"  Carmen asked, turning around, worry lines etched around her corners of her mouth.  "I didn't get a chance to ask!  I'm really worried about Erica, Carmen!  I'm worried that her husband will find her."  "Me too, Bessie!  Me too!"  Carmen walked over to Bessie, kissed her on the cheek and murmured, "Don't worry.  I'll find her.  Or I'll find Pedro before he finds her."  She walked out the door before Bessie could caution her to stay clear of Pedro.  Bessie sat very still in the now night-shadowed living room.  Then she stood up on her swollen ankles, walked over to the end table next to her couch, picked up the phone and dialed 9-1-1.