unleashing the network

for a few hours on sunday, eight people across three states had the impression that i was lying mutilated in a roadside ditch, my dismembered parts growing freezer burn. all because of a misunderstanding.

saturday i stayed in the city and the next morning my car wouldn't start. i was in a big hurry. so when i called my dad and realized that it wasn't a quick fix, i cut him off and said i'd call him later. then in the middle of cooking class i got a call from my mother, who wanted to know about the car. i rushed the conversation and told her i'd call her later as well. then i went back to my engagements and didn't really worry about it. i figured it wasn't that big of a deal because the engine was turning a little so i would just call them when i got back to the car and sort it out from there.

i have always been a responsible kid. save for the times in high school that i'd go over to ri's house after class, where we'd turn up the tunes and drown out the phone, and i'd forget to tell my mom i'd be late. she'd get to fretting that i was abducted by a pedophile and would end up on the back of a milk carton, never to be seen again. the guilt associated with making her feel that way was enough to deter me from doing that very often. so after not hearing from me for a couple of hours, they got worried because a) car was "broken down" b) i was in the big bad city c) it was getting dark and they didn't know where my car was parked d) it's not like me to just not call back like that when there was trouble and e) i'm a girl.

my parents called my brother, who called H, who e-mailed highcon, who called kaiya, who contacted ri and c and some of those people contacted each other, all looking to see if any of them had heard from me since that morning. one of them finally googled cc's number (which took some detective work because she's unlisted) and reached me just as i was trying to understand the premise of Grease: you're the one that i want. i didn't hear the 629 calls placed to my telephone because it had run out of juice and i was planning on using the car charger but the car was not working.

they had worked themselves into a bubbly froth. and when i found out just how extensive the nationwide APB out for me was, i became more than a little upset. mostly because my self-confidence has taken a pretty decent battering the last few months and the commotion made me feel like even my parents don't have faith in me-- what, did they think i'd go hitchhiking down Lake Shore Drive in my socks? so i blasted back about how i'm not a moron and could handle myself.

turns out the car was just extremely cold, and with the slightest jump from c's vehicle, i was on my way, still fuming about the hungama over nothing. i have since pieced together the parts of the grapevine that went sour and i've decided that if i heard one of my friends was stuck on the side of a road and in the middle of a distress call her phone died and she wasn't heard from for several hours, i'd round up a search party, too. i am my mother's daughter. and besides, now i know that if i run into any actual foul play, my family is not going to wait more than 15 minutes before calling the police. i am sure this will still be in effect when i'm 65. and beyond.

but i think H analyzed it best: when i confessed that in spite of the unnecessary frenzy, maybe i shouldn't have gotten so angry, he said not to dwell on it too much because karma will make sure i pay for it when i have my own children.