Still Gone: There's No Room for Contemplation in This Life

EVIE COWAN'S POV

After sending Aunt Amy home to get some rest, I walk into the house ready to take over for Hadley in her absence.  I am worried and scared to death for my friend, but I can only imagine what her children must be going through.  I plan to make it as easy on them as possible.  Everything will be perfect.  Over obsessive?  Maybe...but I'm a perfectionist, I can't help it.  I talked to my mom right before I got there and she told me not to spaz out...now, do I spaz out?  Okay, yeah, I do...but how hard can taking care of three teens, one child, and two infants be?  Yeah, mom choked when I told her that one too.

First things first...dinner...uh, yeah...hmm...my cooking skills are...um...lacking to be honest.  My husband is the cook in our family.  My parents can't cook, neither can my brother.  We excel at picking up the phone and ordering a pizza...well, that simply won't due...so I get out the ingredients to throw together an autumn salad...at least I know I won't burn that.

It actually turns out pretty well, if I do say so myself...we all sit down at the table and eat, then I rush to clear the table...

...and the sink breaks...aw, man!  What kind of crap is this?  

I curse my good luck...and think about what Hadley would do versus what I want to do...here's the breakdown as I see it:
Hadley: Pull a toolbox out from my back pocket and show the sink who's boss.
Me: Call my Daddy...he's better at this kind of thing anyway...

Hmm...but if I call Daddy, I'll basically just be proving that I can't handle running a house and raising children myself, right?  I want to be a mom so bad and I don't want to give anyone a reason to think I can't do it.  

Ahh!  I'm being attacked by water...ok, broken sinks don't allow for much contemplation...

Stop, you crazed water!  STOP!

So in the end, I suck it up and start trying to fix it myself...just a twist here, and a turn there...

Then I hear Hallie behind me..."The babies are crying,"
Oh crap!  What am I supposed to do now?  Leave the sink?  Let them cry?
"Um..." I start.
"It's ok, Aunt Evie, I can go take care of them," Hallie offers.
"Um, you don't have to," I start.  I really don't want them to be over-stressed...
She replies and heads upstairs, "It's no big deal."

Maybe having teenagers will be better than just having children...especially Hallie, Maureen, and Billy...they seem to be pretty level-headed.

Four hours later, I'm still working on this wretched sink from hell.  Billy comes into the kitchen to clean it up and notices that I'm still struggling.
"Uh, Aunt Evie...do you need any help?" he asks.
After beating on the dang thing with a wrench for a minute, I answer him, "No, it's ok, sweetie...just go about your night."

But instead of going about his night, he starts mopping the floor around me and cleaning.  Wow!  Where can I get some well behaved children like these?  I hope I'm this lucky when I have children.

I FINALLY fix the sink!  Yay me!  The first thing I do is thank Billy for cleaning the kitchen.
"I wouldn't have just left it for you to do," he replies.

When I finally get to sit down, everyone but Maureen is asleep.  I pick up the paper and see that the paparazzi has leaked to the press about Hadley's disappearance.

Well, at least they didn't accuse her of going into rehab or something.

Maureen starts talking to me, but I'm so exhausted from this evening that I can barely keep my eyes open.

"Everything going ok, Aunt Evie?" she asks.
"Oh yeah, everything's fine honey," I lie, "don't worry about me."
"You know, you don't have to do everything yourself," she says, "Hallie, Billy, and I can help too."
"I know, and that's great, but I don't want you to have to." I tell her, "you all just concentrate on doing well in school and keeping up with all your activities.  I'll take care of the rest."
Maureen gives me a look like she doesn't believe me.  Hmph, I'm really kind of sick of people doubting my abilities.
"I can handle this, Reenie," I dig in my heels.

"I know you can, I was just saying you don't have to." she says.  Hmm, well, if that's the case, maybe that's ok.

We talk for a few more minutes before she and I both head to bed.

Even though Maureen told me not to stress, I wake up at 4 am the next morning to make breakfast for the kids.  They need a good breakfast before they go off to school, right?

I put together the ingredients for waffles.  How hard can this be?

Checking...checking...everything seems good...

Until they burn!  Argh!  

Man, I suck!

I stare at the burnt plate of waffles for awhile and contemplate whether I should feed them to the kids or just make them eat cereal...hmm...
Unfortunately, once again, I realize that there is no time to contemplate things because I hear two screaming babies upstairs.

I run upstairs to tend to them.  Holding Debbie in my arms, I feel a sort of comfort.  Must be the power of newborn babies.

I hum a little lullaby and seem ok.

...for a minute, then they both start screaming again.

As if sent by an angel, my mom calls.
Zoey: How's it going?
Evie: Um...ok...
Zoey: I can hear the babies crying in the background, are you sure?

Evie: Oh please, Ma, give me a little bit of credit.
Zoey: Hmm...really?

Evie: No...ok, I give.  They won't stop crying...I don't know what to do...no one else is awake yet.

Zoey: Have you fed them lately?
Evie: Hmm...well, no...
Zoey: Well...uh, that's probably it...
Evie: I know...
Zoey: So what's the problem?
Evie: I don't know how to mix the bottles...

Mom runs me through how to put the bottles together and I feed both Cici and Debbie...that does the trick.

While I'm dealing with the babies, the kids had gotten up and went to school...well...so much for my fantasies of packing them lunches and seeing them off...
So I put my clothes on for the day and go looking for something to eat...when I see in the back of the fridge leftover crepes from when Aunt Amy was here!  Hot damn!

Then Aunt Amy calls.  Man, I really do need to prove to them that I can take care of these kids on my own.

Amy: Hey baby, everything going ok?
Evie: Yeah, no problem.

Amy: Got the formula thing straightened out.
Evie: Man, does my mom have to tell you everything?
Amy: It's no big deal, honey.  There's just some things you have to learn, it doesn't make you defective or anything.  You're going to be a good mom one day.
Hmm, that does make me feel better.
Amy: I was really just calling you to tell you to go ahead and age Debbie and Cici up.  They should be ready.

As much as it pains me to age the girls up without their mother, I do.



Cici looks just like Hadley, and it makes me want to cry.  Her hair is lighter and so are her eyes, but she's obviously her mother's daughter.



Debbie has her mother's hair, and maybe her nose, but I am assuming she has her father's eyes.



I haven't changed any diapers today, so I'm assuming they probably need to use the bathroom...let's try this potty training thing out...Cici is really good...she sits on the potty chair and uses it and everything...



I go to put Debbie on the chair, and she seems to be ok with it...



...but then I smell something awful...



...and she starts screaming...



...geez, kid, give it a rest!  Apparently we didn't make it to the potty chair in time.
So I change her diaper and get them both settled with their toy dolls, then I have a little bit of research I want to do.



Even though my dad and his cop friends can't say for sure right now that foul play is involved in Hadley's disappearance, as her best friend, I can say that there probably is.  I just have to figure out who would want to hurt her.  The only person I can think of that has ever hurt her is John...but I don't know why he would kidnap her...so I Google his name and find this...



Apparently, John has made Man of the Year according to Time magazine...as a favorite for the "Leader of the Free World" election.  Wow, I had no idea he had made it that far in the political career track...if you had asked me, he wouldn't have made it past intern...being someone's little whipping boy or something.



Yuck...I can't imagine him being Leader of the Free World.  I would rather vote for a chicken sandwich.



Hmm...I wonder...I think I'm going to have to go have a little conversation with Mr. Ellis.



I call to check on the kids.  Billy and Maureen are working at Doo Peas Corporate Towers for the day, Kenny is at a friends house, and Hallie is on her way home.  I go out to pay Hadley's bills and wait for Hallie to get home.



When Hallie gets there,  I call John and ask him to meet me at City Hall.  He reluctantly agrees...like he has something to hide..hmmm...



He seems nervous when I get there.
John: Hi, Evie...what's going on...have they found Hadley yet?
Evie: Not yet, unfortunately.
John: Where could she have gone?
Evie: What makes you think she's gone anywhere?



John: Oh, come on Evie, what's the alternative?  That someone did something to her?  Do you really think that could have happened?
Evie: I don't know, you tell me.  I was just thinking about it...and the two of you kind of have a complicated past...



John: I don't know what you're talking about...
Evie: Oh, John.  Of course you do...do you really think she could have gone through what you put her through alone?  Without telling her best friend?  Think again, my friend.



John: Evie, I swear, I don't have a clue what you're talking about...



Evie: That's fine, John...but I would be careful if I were you...you've got voters to think about now.
John: I don't have anything to worry about, Evie.  My record speaks for itself.  Besides, I'm not the same person I was back in high school.
Evie: That may be, but you were a pretty bad guy back then, and Hadley is the one person that stood between you and your squeaky clean record...or so you thought.
John: Um...I hadn't really thought about it.



Evie: So, you wouldn't by any chance, know where we could find Hadley, would you?
John: Of course not!



Evie: Because let me tell you what...if you did anything to hurt her, a rain of terror will pour down on you so hard the skin will peel right off your face!
John: Evie, I swear, I have no idea where Hadley is.  If I did, I would be the first person to tell the police.



I try a different approach.
Evie: Look, if you do, just bring her back...bring her back and we won't say anything.  Consider your secret safe...just bring her back to us.
John: I swear, I don't have a clue where she is, Evie.



Evie: Well, let me just tell you what...if something has happened to her, don't think for a minute that I'm just going to sit on what I know about you, John.
John: *glares* No one will believe you.
Evie: It doesn't matter...because when I get it out there, it will at least make everyone pause before they cast their ballot...especially if the girl you're accused of beating the crap out of is missing.
John: I don't have to listen to these accusations anymore!



He runs away and I simply smile and wave.  I swear, if he has anything to do with this, I will kill him.



When I get back to the house, I the kids are patiently playing, waiting for me to feed them and make them go to bed...Ugh, I'm so tired.



I am so exhausted, I call Mom.  She's supposed to come in and take over for me.



I beg her to come early, but she tells me to suck it up.  Geez...ok, I know I need to, but I'm sooo tired.



While I'm on the phone with Mom, Hallie is changing her hairstyle...she's sort of having a mood swing.



She does her hair more like a hippie.  I can't say it's my style, but she looks cute.



Mom agrees to come over as soon as I get everyone fed and in bed...



When I get off the phone, I can see Hallie's worried expression.
Hallie: Is there any news about my mom?
Evie: No, sweetie.  I'm sorry.
Hallie: Where could she be, Aunt Evie?
Evie: I don't know, honey.



Hallie agrees to help me with the triplets if I cook dinner.  Hopefully I won't burn hot dogs.  *Gulp*



Cici and Debbie are so cute eating dinner in their chairs!



And I manage not to burn dinner!



As soon as I get everyone to bed, Mom shows up.
"Looks like I got here just in time," she jokes.
"Yeah, just in time to go to bed," I tease back.



Zoey: I have to say, I'm really proud of you, hon.  You did a good job with the kids today.  I know it wasn't easy.



I'm really happy she told me that, but more than anything, I'm glad to be going home and going to bed!  Hopefully Hadley will be home soon!