what time did she leave tonight…

I don’t know…guess ’round eight or so…yeah…that’s right…’cause Family Feud had just ended…some coloured family jumpin’ up and down after winnin’ a bunch of money…they took the whole tamale…that one boy got all the number one answers…

so she left ’round eight…

yeah…it might’ve been a little past seven though…was watchin’ Wheel Of Fortune with that fella from the Air Force doin’ real well til he went bankrupt…that was a shame…

she tell ya where she was goin’…

didn’t say a word…didn’t think anything of it…she never talks…hard to get two words out of her…she was all gussied up though…had on red lipstick…powder…pretty dress…like she was headin’ to a dance or somethin’…

you don’t know where your daughter was goin’…

no…’fraid not…she looked like one of those magazine covers though…her hair was done up real nice…

you know the boy that picked her up…

Calvin…everybody knows Calvin…works up at the NAPA store…he’s a sweetheart…can be a bit headstrong at times…tellin’ her what to do…

yeah…I ‘magine so…boys’ll do that…

she’s never been gone this long ‘fore…two days…she missed her shift at the Piggly Wiggly…said she didn’t even call in…you can get fired for that…

and she hasn’t called here…

nope…I been real worried…that’s why I called you…haven’t heard from her…

we’ll look into it ma’am…we’ll look into it…

hope nothin’s happened to her…

how well you know this Calvin boy…

they been datin’ for awhile…little bit…like I said…he can be headstrong…he bought her a ring but she gave it back to him early on in the courtship…said he wanted her in the worst of ways…she said she’d let him know when the time was right…that was some months ago…said she wanted to do things proper…have a weddin’ out in Vegas maybe…or down at the courthouse…I don’t know…crazy kids…you don’t think they went and got hitched do you…

stranger things have happened…stranger things have happened…