Lorie Lee Santos

When Eric did not come back last night, it was clear to everyone that he was in trouble, that he would not be coming back, not unless he was found.

By two in the morning, I told Faye to get some sleep, although I doubt she would be able to. I doubt any of us would be able to sleep again. Even Tustin stayed up with me, talking over the last few days on the cruise, questioning every interaction we’ve had with Eric, and with others, as if we could solve the mystery on our own.

Faye Santos

I’m not sure who else I can talk to who would take me seriously. After half an hour at the security office I am more frustrated than I’ve been.

“My husband is missing!” I say.

“Mrs. Santos, he’s only been gone for a few hours, that hardly counts as a missing person.” The tall security man said. I can tell he’s trying to be nice, not to break the good customer service.

“But he’s handicapped, he can’t go anywhere without someone helping him. And he wouldn’t have left me when I was feeling sick.” I say.

“Again, Mrs. Santos, I can assure you that no one fell over the cruise ship. So your husband is either still on the ship, or he has gone down to explore the town a bit.”

Faye Serrano

I pushed his wheelchair down the stony walkway of the navy barracks. He was having a bad day. He has more bad days than good, but right now he was particularly gloomy, even for him. He was not saying much, but I talk to him like normal. He has been with me for almost a year, and I’m used to his silent protests by now. I had become a master at pretending that everything was fine.

“Okay,” I said, “Should we stop and get a quick bite at Carrillo now or would you like to wait until after Psych?”

Faye Santos

My stomach still felt a bit queasy but I try not to let it bother me. I go back into the bathroom and there it was, Eric’s shiny new wheelchair, the one we bought specifically for this trip, parked in the center facing the vanity. It’s hard to explain why the mere sight of it startled me.

I pressed the button that began to pull back the black-out curtains and took a better look outside. Ah, we have arrived in Puerto Vallarta. Eric and I had visited this beautiful seaport city years ago when we were in grad school, I think that was when I knew that I was really in love with him for the first time.

Gerard Martin

He took off his dusty linen shirt and threw it on his twin size bed as he jumped into the windowless bathroom and splashed cold water on his face. He grabbed a hand towel that was still damp from the night before (damn the humidity!) and wiped off the dirt and sweat that had caked on his neck. There was no time to shower. He looked at his new fitness watch, there was no time for this either. He grabbed his deodorant stick and swiped them quickly under his armpits, not noticing the white residue smearing until it had made a thick film across his chest. Fuck! He cursed. No time, no time!

All happy families resemble one another, each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.

- Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina