Morwen was working late that Friday night, re-potting seedlings in the park green house. She was due to meet Richard later on that evening, and figured it was hardly worth going home, only to come back into town later. The park office building was well stocked with all that was needed for the hard-working gardener, including changing rooms and showers. Plenty of space, and at that hour, privacy to shower and get the compost out from under your fingernails61.
Morwen’s phone rang – “Come on baby, light my fire”. It was Felindre.
“Hey,” said Morwen, “how’s tricks?”
“You haven’t seen or heard from Rosa, have you?”
“Not since this morning,” Morwen replied. “She went to work as normal, why?”
“She was supposed to be meeting me at yours after work, but she hasn’t shown, and she’s not answering her phone.”
“She’s not answering her phone?” Morwen was shocked. Rosa was so attached to her phone that she’d need surgery to put it down.
“I’ve been to the house, but there’s no one there. It’s not like her!”
Felindre was sounding worried, very unusual for her. Her normal attitude was to take life by the scruff of the neck and shake it until it coughed up what she wanted62.
“Ok,” said Morwen calmly. “I’m at work. By the time you get here, I’ll have cleaned up, and we can head round to Rosa’s office, just in case anyone’s still there who’s seen where she’s gone off to.”
“Right,” said Felindre. “I’ll be with you in about twenty minutes.”
Morwen hung up, put her tools away, and went to get changed.
Twenty four and a half minutes later, Morwen was standing outside the main park gate, waiting for Felindre. She’d tried texting Richard about the change of plans, but her phone was still acting up, so she had no idea if he’d got the text or not.
She stared suspiciously at the pigeons that were wandering around. One of them stared back at her a moment, then went back to pecking at the ground. A duck wandered up and looked at her, then lunged at the closest pigeon. The entire flock of pigeons took off, and the duck looked smug.
“Thanks,” said Morwen. “I’ll bring you some mealworms tomorrow.”
There was enough early evening foot traffic on the path so that she didn’t see Felindre straight away.
“I’ve tried phoning Rosa half a dozen times,” announced Felindre, as soon as she got close enough for Morwen to hear her. “Nothing.”
“I’ve tried too,” said Morwen. “It keeps going to voicemail - so it’s not just you.”
“Not that I think she’d be avoiding you!” she continued hurriedly.
Felindre bit her lip.
“Let’s go to her office.”
“Maybe her phone battery’s run out,” offered Morwen hopefully as they walked quickly down the street. “Or maybe she’s caught up in a meeting and has forgotten the time?”
Felindre shot her a look.
“Morwen, I know you’re trying to be comforting,” she said. “But please stop.”
They walked on in silence for a few minutes.
“Felindre?”
“Yeah?”
“Can you do me a favour and text Richard to let him know where we’re going? He’s supposed to be meeting me in half an hour.”
“Don’t tell me super-phone is on the blink now,” said Felindre.
“No, but I never can get it to call or text Richard. It just doesn’t like his number for some reason.”
“I wonder why,” muttered Felindre. Then, louder, she said “yeah, no problem.”
___
61 Occupational hazard. For Morwen, manicures were things that happened to other people.
62 To be fair, it was a strategy that seemed to work.
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