Page 3 of Who's that Girl?
Adam: I don’t know. That’s why I’m texting you.
Diana: I will investigate.
Adam: No, it’s fine, Di. Don’t. I’ll figure this out.
Diana: Doesn’t seem like that’s been your forte so far, Adam.
Darn. Now Diana will tell everyone in the family. Not in a gossipy way, but she’ll ask around and in a few minutes everyone will know. That’s what the Madisons are like. You can’t stop a rumor once it gets going with them. You can’t keep information from spreading. They’re impossible.
Oh well. Nothing I can do about that.
Claire’s still missing and I’m still worried. That’s the bottom line.
I decide to try another in-law — Graham, the youngest Madison sibling, the family’s baby brother figure. He’s always been great, even if he does have that greasy best friend, Drew Fox.
Adam: Hey, G. Did you see Claire last night?
Gray: What, after you guys left Dad’s? No, why?
Adam: She didn’t get back in touch with you?
Gray: We texted as you were leaving. That’s all. Listen, answer your phone, there’s something I want to talk to you about.
I don’t have time for this, but in a few seconds my phone rings and obviously, I answer.
“Hey,” I say.
“Hey. Listen, what’s all this about you refusing to do the show? I sorted it all out with Drew, you know. He gets that Claire was just having an off moment.”
“What? I don’t care about the show, honestly.”
“Don’t care? Dude, what? Claire cares. You have to do it, if it happens. It’s obviously the biggest thing to ever happen to either of you.”
“I don’t … I mean, if Claire really wants to do it, I guess we would consider it, but I don’t really care about that right now. I care about Claire. She’s missing.”
“Missing?!” Gray sounds incredulous.
“Gray, I don’t have time for Madison family dramatic incredulity right now. Yes, missing. We had … a fight, I guess, and she took off. And she didn’t come home. I checked with Di. Now I’m checking with you. I don’t … I don’t know where she’d go.”
“Back to the hotel, of course.”
“What hotel?”
“She’s been staying at a hotel downtown. For free. Bro … don’t you follow her on Twitter? She’s your wife.”
Twitter. Ridiculous Twitter.
“I know she’s my wife. I am painfully aware of that fact, actually. It’s why I’m so worried. She might not be my wife for long if I can’t find her to explain.”
There’s a long pause on the other end of the line while Gray presumably digests what I’ve just told him. Finally, he takes a deep breath and speaks.
“Adam, I love you like a brother. But you have f—ed this up so unbelievably. First of all, get on Twitter and catch up with what’s been going on with your wife. You’ll realize where she’s staying when you do. It’s all there — the hotel name, everything. And I’m sure she’s fine, by the way. Then, if I were you, I’d work up an apology. A big apology. Huge. Like, you need to make a serious gesture here. Especially after what happened at Dad’s.”
I sigh. I know I messed up.
“I know. I know. Claire told me off already. I can’t believe … I didn’t know how bad it was. How much I’d been hurting her.”
“Well,” there’s a pause as Gray clearly ponders what to say. He’s always been reticent with me. When he was a kid, he practically worshipped me. People say I was a big deal in high school (yes, it’s embarrassing). And Gray was so little then. “Well,” he starts again, “I guess now you know. So if you want to make up for it, all I’m saying is that you better bring your A-game.”
