I laughed. "No, nothing else you need to know. But he is going to take me on another date – and this one he won't stand me up for."
"He'd better not! A guy should only get one free pass when it comes to stuff like that."
"Oh, believe me, he knows; he knows."
"Well, I'm really happy for you," she said, smiling. "I mean, it's been so long since you've, you know...since there's been a man in your life; and this one, he sounds like a decent guy."
"He really is, Kerry. At least that's the impression I have of him."
"Well, I hope your impression is accurate. I seriously do. So, when do Carl and I get to meet this hunk, huh?"
"Let's not move too fast now!" I said with a laugh. "But, you know you guys are welcome here anytime."
"I wouldn't mind getting down there for a weekend, actually. Maybe we'll make a plan to come down soon."
Despite the light-hearted nature of our conversation, something more serious was gnawing at the back of my mind, and I had to ask Kerry about it.
"Kerry, did Carl hear anything else about Simon's whereabouts?" I asked.
She frowned and shook her head.
"No, I'm afraid not. He really has gone off the radar. Carl has been calling people and looking online, but I don't know...it's like he's just vanished into thin air."
Worry and anxiety began to gnaw increasingly at my insides.
"I really hope he... you know, he hasn't..."
"He hasn't found you, Viv. Trust me. You're safe there. He might be smart, but we've taken every precaution we can to make sure you're hidden and safe."
"I just know how deter
mined and persistent he is, Kerry. He's obsessed; he's not going to just give up."
"Look, don't worry too much about it, Viv. Carl's on it, and we will find Simon eventually, I promise you that. And besides, you're living a whole new life now. You're in a place where nobody from your past knows you, where—"
"Actually, there is someone from my past here," I said, interrupting her.
"Wait, what?! Who?!"
"I bumped into Angie Wells here."
"Angie Wells, from high school?"
"Yep, that Angie Wells."
"Wow... and she recognized you?"
"She did. She even called me by my old name."
"You did correct her, right? And tell her about the Simon thing, and why you need to maintain a high degree of secrecy and privacy?"
"I told her. She knows, and she understands. She's not going to go around announcing that she's hanging out with Alicia from high school."
"Wow... it's weird to hear you say your old name like that."
"I know... and it was even weirder to hear it shouted across a crowded bar, totally unexpectedly."
"Damn, that's how it happened?"