Missing Friend

This is a story with a happy ending - but I will start at the beginning.  Yesterday I received a text message from a friend asking if we could catch up - she wanted to chat.  I replied but twice the message failed to leave my phone.  I called into her home - but it was in darkness and no one answered the door.

I phoned several times in the afternoon and left a message, but there was no response.

This afternoon, after more unanswered messages, and an email, I set out to search for her.  I went to her home again, and then went to the various places in town that she might be.  I checked out our drinking haunt, and a shopping complex.  I then called a politician who knew her, and we found someone who had seen her round about the time she sent her first message to me.  Still no one had seen her.  I went back to her house and a neighbour with the key to her place opened her apartment and we checked inside.  No sign of her.

I left a message at her apartment, after knocking again.  I had not long left her place - seems she was inside having a shower so didn't hear me.  She'd been on a bus trip for the day, and her phone was (accidentally) turned down, so she did not hear the calls we made to her.

She phoned me, and I was much relieved to find she was safe.

It is quite a dilemma to be in.  I could have just left it - and hoped she was ok, but I just had to keep checking until I KNEW!

All is well.

I remember a few years ago, when I went to a friend's place who had not turned up for work (we worked in the same place) and she didn't answer her phone.  After work I went to her home and she was in a bad way - from alcohol as it turns out, and could have died.  I had police and ambulance there, and she was lucky.

It is a hard call - do nothing and risk a friends life, or do a lot and risk embarrassment for all.

My friend knows that I care.


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