Taking Inventory

First published in Fiction at Work (2008)

1. She’s gone.
2. What did I do?
3. It’s not my fault I got assigned to the Seattle office for three months.
4. When I called on Sunday, Amy said she missed me, too.
5. Her phone’s been disconnected.
6. According to her landlord, she left yesterday.
7. Why didn’t she tell me she was going?
8. “No, she didn’t leave a note or a forwarding address,” he said.
9. Is he lying?
10. “Yes, she took everything,” he replied.
11. Even my dog.
12. From the stoop of her building, I watch the activity in the park across the street.
13. A Sheltie chases a squirrel up a tree.
14. Children play.
15. Bicyclists clad in colorful outfits pass by.
16. The fetid air full of exhaust fumes and last night’s dinners assaults my nose.
17. One of the mothers reminds me of Amy.
18. I told her Carrie meant nothing to me.
19. It was a chance meeting of high school classmates.
20. I close my eyes and try to visualize Amy’s face.
21. It takes a long time to form.
22. Did she ever love me?
23. Maybe she needs a break is all.
24. Time to think.
25. I wonder where she went.
26. Maybe to her mother’s.
27. I should call and find out.
28. No.
29. It’s Amy’s turn to call.
30. Will she change her mind if she hears my voice?
31. Probably not.
32. Eighteen months wasted.
33. Bitch.