“HE’S IN THERE SOMEWHERE”

Our hearts were thumping, we could hear and feel the pressure in our ears, the tension was so thick.

Slowly and with deliberation, we walked across the lawn toward the stairway that would take us to #2 Son’s dorm apartment at SUNY/Purchase. We were there to bring him home for the summer.

“Are you sure this is the right place?” TLW (The Little Woman) was apprehensive!

“Yes, don’t worry, this is it.”

Leading the way, we climbed the iron steps and once at the top, swung right to the last apartment off the balcony. The door was slightly ajar, and I knocked and gently nudged the door open.

“Come in” came a voice deep within the bowels of the place.

As we did, it looked like the opening of a CSI scene; the place must have been ransacked! There was stuff strewn about, limply laying clothing over arms of chairs, orphaned plugs lying about from wall sockets, and crumpled covered paperback text books, that looked like they had seen better days!

What deadly, ghastly act had been committed? What deed of fiendishness had been perpetrated, what acts of horror had been visited upon this abode?

TLW, taking short gasping breaths, looked into the small kitchen, wonderment ran across her brow, settling in her eyes, her hands up in despair, thinking: “What have they done to my baby?”

“I’m in here”, the voice called out once more, as we turned to the direction from which it came. We rushed toward it, after all, he may be tied up or bleeding, and we needed to get to him quickly!

Standing in even greater chaos, stood #2 Son, piles of clothing and books, and more electrical plugs in sockets! The two beds that occupied his assigned bedroom were without the mattress’ that lay next to them. Coins and papers were scattered across what floor space still existed.

I can remember once, when I was in high school, going to bed with a fever, and waking up in the morning, and seeing the shape of my bed from the twisting and turning of the night. That was what I was now witnessing, only thousands of times more! The sick feeling returning, we waded over mountains of debris, slowly lifting our legs up, desperately trying to move across the mayhem!

“What happened???!!!” inquired an incredulous looking TLW.

“What?” responded a matter of fact #2 Son.

“This place looks like a bomb went off!” responded TLW.

I thought, maybe he shared the place with a bunch of chemistry students, or this was an Al Qaida cell, and their plans went awry.

“Don’t do anything, I’ll take care of it, I’ll only be a minute!” said #2.

“Take care of what? They will charge you for leaving this mess.”

“Mess? I think it looks pretty good, we were cleaning all afternoon.”

“Are you the only one left in the apartment?” asked TLW.

“I’m not sure, there may be someone under some of this stuff, and will be leaving later.” responded #2.

TOMORROW: A Cry For Help.