Intersection of Lost & Found- Chapter 1

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Chapter 1- Nora

“Where is he? Why hasn’t he called? This isn’t like him…” Nora paced back and forth across the living room rug, leaving a visibly worn path in the cream Berber. It was 9:30 now. A full hour and a half past Sam’s normal arrival time. The routine was always the same. He’d get off work at 7:00, call Nora as he walked to his truck, tell Lila goodnight as Nora held the phone to her ear and then he’d drive home. Same routine for the past six months. But tonight, tonight was different. Tonight their lives would surely be changed forever. 269-5555. Nora dialed his cell phone number again. Speed dial wasn't fast enough to beat the frantic, terrible thoughts that were racing through her head. She lost count at call number seventeen. “Hey, this is Sa…” She slammed the phone down before the recording could finish. She knew it by heart. Her anger and irritation was quickly turning into deep, shaking fear and worry. She had already tried to call him at work, but the office was closed down for the night. She had even gone so far as to call the local hospital to see if anyone fitting his description had been admitted through the emergency department. “Surely someone would call me...” Nora wasn’t normally one to worry so much, but more so, Sam was definitely not one to break routine. She sat down on the sofa and rested her chin on her hands. The sparkle of her wedding band caught her eye. She began to nervously spin the ring round and round her finger. “Seriously Sam! For the love of Pete, just call me!” Slamming her hands on her knees, she stood up in one swift, aggressive motion, grabbing one of Lila’s socks from the top of the laundry basket as she went, dusting the various surfaces of the room. She had already cleaned the house once that day and knew there was no dust to be found, but sitting still only caused her worry and angst to fester. 10:00pm. Two hours late. Lila was crying and restlessly rolling in her crib in the next room. The baby monitor buzzed a soft, gentle hum. The rain hit the glass panes of the windows with a delicate, staccato rhythm. The ceiling fan whirred and clicked a steady, nervous beat. “Sam was supposed to have fixed that last weekend.” Nora walked to Lila’s door and peeked her head in. Her beautiful daughter pulled herself upright against the bars of her white lacquered prison and raised her chubby arms in the air. The instant she was lifted from the crib, her head found its way to Nora’s shoulder. She burrowed down and fell back into a soft slumber, completely oblivious to her mothers strangled breaths. Her tears had subsided and were replaced by the sounds of a soft, peaceful breathing that Nora wished she could mimic. The baby's hair was matted into tight, tangled blond curls form the salt of her tears. Her cheeks flushed a warm pink and a single tear still hung tight to her dark eyelashes. The beating of Nora's heart was so rapid, she was sure it would wake the baby once again. Once peaceful and lulled back to her dreams, Nora gently stooped to lay Lila back in the crib. As if on cue, the door bell rang. Ding. Dong. Ding. Those three melodious notes that normally rang the arrival of a beloved friend and visitor, suddenly held a somber, threatening tone. Nora tucked the pink, plush chenille cover around Lila’s sleeping body “Snug as a bug in a rug.”, pulled the door shut behind her and hesitated for a brief moment. She knew in her heart that her whole life was changing. If Sam were home, there wouldn't be a need to ring the bell. If there were good news to be shared, it would not be shared at 10 o'clock at night in the pouring rain. She slowly made her way to the front door, feeling as if her feet were dragging in heavy, wet sand. Every step was pained and forced. Her heart raced. She reached for the doorknob with trembling fingers and pulled open the large oak door which was suddenly much heavier then she remembered. The moist air had caused it to swell against its frame, making the perfect recipe for a woeful, creaking door. The suction as it burst free from its position sent a puff of sweet smelling, rain laced air towards Nora's face; rustling her already tousled locks and causing her to squint. Words were not spoken. A glance of the figure that now darkened her doorstep was enough to drop her to her knees and steal the breath from her lungs. Her entire body was overcome with violent shakes. Her fingers touched her lips and the tears began to flow as hard as the rain outside. Her sobs were mere fragments of the anguish she felt for the news she already knew, but was about to receive anyway. She turned her face towards the gentleman that was now standing inside the doorway; wiping his large boots on the hand-knit rug. His hair was salt and pepper grey and his eyes were warm and friendly. He crouched beside her, hitching up his navy blue department issued bdu's, and with his grandfatherly hand, pushed the now damp hair from her pale and empty face. “Ma’am, I’m Officer Mitchell. Ma’am?” he said again as he placed his hands on her shoulders. Nora’s cries grew stronger as Officer Mitchell helped her to her feet and then escorted her to the sofa. She collapsed into the cushions and made her best effort to regain her composure. “What happened? Where is my husband?” Officer Mitchell steadied himself to say the words he had to repeat far too often in his lifetime. I'd rather take a bullet than do this again. “Ma’am…there has been an accident. I’m so sorry. The roads were slick from the rain and we have reason to believe the other driver had been drinking. Your husband was flown to Mercy Hospital, but there was nothing that could be done.” They sat together on the sofa for what seemed like hours, but only a few moments had passed when Officer Mitchell stood, poised to leave 7 Penn Brook Lane. “Ma’am, is there someone you would like me to call?” “Yes.” She sputtered through tears. “Call my husband and tell him I’m not laughing,” she said sarcastically. “Tell him to come home. And stop calling me Ma’am. My name is Nora.” Nora knew the remark was uncalled for, but a small piece of her refused to believe the words this man brought to her. “How dare he come in my house and tell me such lies? What kind of a man does that? Where is Sam?” Sensing her need for him to go above and beyond his duties in this moment, Officer Mitchell squatted in front of Nora, sliding his weapon to the side of his battered gun belt. He took her hands in his and once again wiped the hair from her face. Looking deep into her sorrowful eyes he spoke, “Nora, I have lived many, many years on this Earth. Many more than you, and I have come to learn that I know very little about life. I meet lovely people like you every day and wonder to myself, why in God’s name do bad things happen to such good people? Then I tell myself that faith will guide me. Faith will guide you, too. I know this may not mean anything now, but I hope you hear me when I say that your husband is not gone. He’s merely gone ahead.” With that, he patted her hand and made his exit. He left what was once a home full of warmth and laughter. He left a woman, broken on the sofa.