If Something Disappears...

Two years after her son's disappearance, Lilly Green has lost hope that he is alive. She just wants peace.

It’s been two years since my son went missing. Exactly two years today. I miss him every day, as can be expected, I guess. I believe he is dead. There is no way that he couldn’t be, at this point, it’s been too long. I just want to find his body, his remains, just to give him the proper funeral that my baby deserves. That’s all I want for him. This is all I need to say goodbye.

My sister walks into the kitchen where I’m sitting at the table slowly eating my breakfast. “How are you today, Lilly?” She asks with the same tone she uses to say anything to me since he went missing. Pure pity. And that pity disgusts me.

I shrug and eat another spoonful of cereal. “The same as any other day, Demi. I’m awake. I’m eating. I’m surviving.” The monotone voice that comes out of my mouth is still difficult to get used to, but it’s the only way that I am able to speak.

Demi takes a seat across the table from me and gives me that look that says she’s sorry for me. I don’t need her to feel sorry for me. I don’t need that gaze from her that shows her pity. I’ve had enough of it. I slam my spoon down on the table next to my bowl and say roughly, “Stop giving me that look. It’s been two years. I’m okay. Really.”

Demi nods and looks away, not saying anything. I think I may have hurt her feelings and I know that she’s just looking out for me, but it’s done. It’s over. I’m ready to move on.

I stand up and put my bowl in the sink, leaving it to be washed at a later time. Exiting the kitchen and heading to my bedroom, a pang of guilt fills my chest. Demi is just trying to look out for me, and I know that. I close the door behind me and sigh as I crouch down on the floor beside my bed. There’s nowhere I have to be today, it’s my day off from work. I’m a secretary for the local travel agency. Not many people ever visit the travel agency; I’m actually surprised it’s still open. No one travels from where I live. I reach under my bed and pull out a wooden box with a heart engraved on the top of it. I feel my eyes start to get misty as I slowly open it. I pull out the first picture I see and a sad smile spreads across my face. He was so handsome, my baby. Only 21 when he was taken from me. I find myself looking through these pictures on the days I miss him the most because it reminds me of how happy he was when I still had him.

I start to put the box away and I hear an urgent knock on my door. “Lilly?” my sister says. “There’s someone on the phone for you. It’s important.”

I rise, my knees cracking as I stand. I open the door to find Demi standing there with my cell phone in her hand. I take it and answer, “hello?’

“Lilly Green?” A deep voice says.

“This is she,” I say.

“Miss Green, we found your son.”

They tell me I have to go down to the station. I glance in the mirror to check myself before I go. My short black hair looks the same as it always does, there nothing I can do with it. There’s not a stitch of makeup on my face and I decide to keep it that way. I’ve always thought my dark brown eyes looked better with nothing around them.

Demi drives me to meet the detectives. I’m nervous about what I am going to see. I introduce myself at the front desk and a man comes out to great me. “Hello, Ms. Green. I’m Detective Williams. Follow me please.”

He took me down a long hallway and when he opened the door at the end, I couldn’t believe my eyes. He was standing there, tall and healthy. My baby, my son, my world.

He looked down at the floor avoiding my eye, “Hi, Mom.” Half of me wants to run up to him and embrace him in a huge bear hug, the other half wants to slap him across the face. Anger builds in my body, steam is practically coming out of my ears. I’d always thought that when this day would come, the slight chance that I thought it could actually happen, I would be happy. But, that wasn’t the case.

“Two years!” I shouted. “It’s been two whole years that you’ve been gone! And you’re ok? You look perfectly healthy. Not a scratch across your entire body. I reported you as missing! You were missing for two years. And now you’re back? No word from you for two years?! Where were you?”

One of the officers said to me, “Ma’am, you need to lower your voice.”

I glared at him and let out a little huff. I asked my son again, “Where were you?”

He kept his eyes glued to the ground, pursing his lips as if he were trying to figure out what to say.

Author's Note

Hey, guys! I'm am totally open to constructive criticism. I just want to know what you think!