Clark is Missing (Part I)

It was a bright and sunny Sunday morning. The sky was calm, and the city was peaceful and free.

On that particular day, Clark was supposed to join Charissa and myself for a shopping trip. We even went as far as preparing a plate of bacon and eggs in anticipation of his arrival.

Unfortunately, my father failed to show up on time. Nor did he answer Charissa's calls.

My mother tried her best to stay calm, even getting as far as telling me things are going to be all right. But the pent-up feeling of anxiety began creeping all over her heart.

"Clark promised us for a visit today, right?" I politely asked Charissa.

"He did," she worriedly replied. "But I don't understand why he's not acknowledging my urgent calls at this critical moment."

At 9:00 a.m., Charissa dialed Clark's number again in hopes of receiving an answer. But to the surprise of no one, he did not heed her call.

Charissa tried contacting Clark a few more times, each to no avail.

She grew so frustrated that my mother threw her mobile phone to the wall and shattered it. I tried my best to soothe her down, but it was obvious Charissa was severely unhappy and agitated at her husband.

"We must visit Clark at his workplace," Charissa angrily screamed. "Damn it, we're supposed to be shopping with him today. Why can't he bother showing up?"

Soon after, I reluctantly accompanied a bitter Charissa straight to the hospital. Upon entering the customer service desk, she stormed towards the hospital staff asking them to call Clark's attention.

After three attempts, Clark was still nowhere to be found. Impatience began setting in on Charissa as she slammed her palms to the wall and shouted loudly to the audience.

Suddenly, a few of Clark's colleagues came out to confront Charissa. At that very moment, I stepped back out and sat down on one of the benches.

"Calm down you distressed lady," one of the doctors urged an angry Charissa. "If you keep this charade, I'll escort your ass out of the hospital. Just calm down."

Charissa eventually ceased acting wildly and regained her composure. Another doctor stepped in and looked towards her.

"You must be Clark's lifelong friend," he politely described Charissa.

"Actually I am his lovely wife," she politely replied. "I was wondering where in the world is Clark right now. He hasn't returned my calls of late."

Pausing for a few short minutes, another one of Clark's co-workers spoke about the fate of my father.

"To tell you the truth, our friend Clark hasn't shown up at work the past few days," he explained. "We really don't know where he is right now."

"But were you able to at least contact him?" Charissa inquired the doctors. "You were his beloved colleagues and friends, remember?"

"Unfortunately, we could not reach your husband," another doctor replied solemnly. "His phone must be either out of coverage or has a broken signal. We don't know."

"We're truly sorry, madam," the concerned doctors informed her. "We humbly apologize for the inconvenience."

Overly worried and distraught, Charissa sobbed uncontrollably upon realizing that Clark went AWOL without her knowledge. Even I could not hold back my tears and started weeping alongside her.

The uncomfortable thought of a missing father and husband hit both Charissa and myself inside our hearts. For years, our family overcame all kinds of adversity and stayed formidable, but now the morale within the household was at an all-time low.

Shortly after, Charissa and I immediately returned home. What was supposed to be a fantastic and pleasant day turned ugly and miserable in a heartbeat.

At the kitchen, Charissa could not hold back her tears. While chopping some onions, she inadvertently cut her fingers with a knife and began bleeding profusely.

Charissa's agonized screams of pain and distress prompted me to visit the kitchen. Upon looking frantically at her bloodied palms, I grabbed a first-aid kit and wrapped some bandages on them.

But even as I treated my mother's wounded fingers, she could not stop crying. It was apparent Charissa missed Clark's calming and ethereal presence, something my family sorely needs at that point.

On the dining table, Charissa tearfully explained Clark's inability to contact her.

"Christine, I don't understand," she worriedly said. "Clark normally answers my calls in a heartbeat whenever I dialed the phone. But today? He was nowhere to be found, and it bothers me so much."

Stricken with overwhelming grief, Charissa continued sobbing while I desperately tried my best to console her. But my sullen eyes soon gave in and told her, "Mother, I miss father so much."

We embraced each other so tightly, our tears subsequently mixing together. Moments later, my phone began vibrating.

Aunt Cathy was calling on the phone.

Cathy: "Hello? Christine, are you there?"

Christine: "Aunt, it's me. Why?"

Cathy: "I couldn't contact Charissa, so I dialed your number instead. Anyway, what's with all the crying on the background?"

Christine: "Aunt Cathy, my daddy Clark is missing. Charissa tried contacting him but he couldn't answer. Then his doctors revealed he had been AWOL for days now. We absolutely need your help."

Cathy: "Calm down Christine. Don't worry, I'll be coming to your home shortly. Right now, kindly tell Charissa to stop crying and relax, okay?"

Christine: "Affirmative. See you in a few then."

Cathy hung up the phone and I went back to a still distraught Charissa. Accompanying her to the plush sofa, she instructed me to cook some lunch as her fingers were still bleeding from the unfortunate accident.

Moments later, lunch was about to be served when a visitor suddenly knocked on the door. Upon gently opening it, Cathy showed up on the hallway and Charissa and I tearfully embraced her.

"Girls stop crying," she urged us. "We better go to the police immediately and file a missing persons report on Clark. But please, I don't want to see your lovely faces riddled with tears, okay?"

After finishing our lunch, I printed out several posters informing the public of Clark's whereabouts. Then we drove straight to a police station and submitted a report to the local authorities.

But even as the three of us returned home, no one knows when Clark will be discovered eventually. All we genuinely hope now is for the best.