Like A Little Bit Pregnant

Danielle did not arrive at school today. She is a little bit missing and I am not panicking. She drops Alex off early every day, because her school starts earlier than Alex's and she did that this morning. Somewhere between Alex's school and her own something went different obviously, because she never got to her school. You have to have your phone off during classes or they take it away. I turn mine off as I walk into class and turn it on as I walk out, for the three minutes between classes (and yes, I know I'm killing the battery that way). Today when I turned it back on between periods I got an automated message saying nobody called in for Danielle and she's showing up absent - please call and confirm she's home.

I walked out of school and called Alex's school and made them yank her out of class. Yes, Dani dropped her off on time. No, Dani didn't say anything. No, they didn't stop anyplace on the way. No, they didn't talk to anyone on the way. No, Dani didn't leave home with anything besides her bookbag. I am not panicking.

You don't have to wait 24 hours to report a person missing - that's just on tv. You just have to know what they're wearing. Jeans and a black thermal and a red Small Paul t-shirt with black Chucks. I called a fire family and told them, because they are cool like that and will tell all the other stations to keep an eye out.

After 9/11 there were like, support groups (I want to throw up just writing that because of how lame it is) and one of the things somebody asked is if it's wrong to use 9/11 for stuff, like essays for school and stuff. The answer was no, if we have to deal with the bad part of 9/11 we should get to use what good can come out of it too.

When Denise, a fire wife mom person (I never know what to call these people), asked if I wanted her to come with me to the police I said yes. It's why when she marched in and said, "This young lady's brother was a firefighter killed in 9/11 and her sister is missing since this morning," I kind of didn't mind. Even though everyone in the lobby stopped talking for a second to look at me and I got embarrassed.

When the police woman wanted to know what Danielle kept in her bookbag I called Alex's school again. We tried to figure out over the phone what homework she was doing last night and who she wrote notes to and if the cow tissues she got as a joke on Valentine's Day were already used up. Then she asked me the weirdest thing. Had I gone home yet? Did I check to see if Danielle was home.

She seemed surprised that I was surprised. But there is no way to go home to see if Danielle was there without getting yelled at by Aunt Elaine for being home too early. I was trying to explain it in a way that if it got back to Aunt Elaine, I wouldn't get in trouble. "She really likes her kid-free time," sounded lame. "Honey, I have a gun and am not afraid to use it; the only one who gets people in trouble when I'm around is ME." So we trooped over to my house and she asked if I'd get less of a hard time if she didn't come in. It is so nice when adults aren't retarded. Really a breath of fresh air.

She waited in the hallway when I ran in, claiming to have forgotten something I needed for work, and left. Thirty seconds. No Danielle. Friends know nothing. Dani's shrink was called, and then so was mine. Now we are waiting and I am not panicking while Danielle is a little bit missing.