more than just air and water. Like another eight or ten hours of sleep and a hand full of aspirin.”
“We should be able to find you the aspirin inside the terminal but it’ll be two or three more hours before you’ll be getting anymore sleep.”
“Ooooh Rudy never let me drink wine again.”
A flight attendant announced that they would be disembarking at the El Paso terminal in a few minutes and that it was 10:14 P.M. local time and 79 degrees and clear skies.
“10:14, I feel like it’s the middle of the night,” she said as she looked at her wrist watch.
“Yes, El Paso is two hours behind New York, so, guess who gets to live those last two, not-feeling-too-good hours, all over again,” he teased.
She tried to smile at him as if everything was better but her chalky drained complection told the truth of her condition. She had a wine hang over. Pamela staggered as she tried to stand up, bumping into him. Rudy steadied her and offered his arm for her to lean on. She took a firm hold of his wrist and they made their way off the plane. Once they were inside the terminal Rudy found a Sky Cap pushing an empty wheelchair looking for anyone who might need his assistance. Rudy hailed the man over to them and handed him a wad of bills. Without a word of objection, Pamela climbed into the chair and closed her heavy eyes. Rudy took control of the wheelchair and wheeled her though the crowd heading to the baggage check. He took his time getting there knowing that he would have to wait and be one of the last people to collect their four suitcases from the turnstile. He would need to leave the luggage with Pamela while he rented a car.
After fifteen minutes of watching other passengers retrieve their items from the conveyor, Rudy began to collect the four bags. He wheeled Pamela into a far corner and piled the luggage along side of her.
“Pamela....Pamela,” he shook her awake. “You must stay here with the bags while I go for the car. Do you understand? You must promise to stay right here and I’ll be back to get you soon.” Pamela nodded her head in a slow reply without opening her eyes.
He watched her for a moment as she lowered her head and went back to sleep. He wondered if she would be alright left on her own and if he was doing the right thing by leaving her. With a degree of apprehension, he turned and walked out of the terminal, looking back at her every few steps. After all, she is a full grown woman and a doctor certainly capable of taking care of herself. She would probably resent any innuendo or action from him that would imply to the contrary, he thought, trying to reassure himself.
He caught the shuttle to the rental car service and was back to the baggage claim area within thirty minutes. He parked at the curb along side of the main set of automatic doors where he had left Pamela and started inside for her.
The police officer on duty along the walk pointed to Rudy and said, “Hey you, you can’t park here. Move the car.”
“Yes, I know officer, but I’m by myself and have a young women in a wheelchair and four heavy suitcases to get inside.”
“I’m sorry buddy, but no one is permitted to leave a vehicle here. You’ll have to move the car to the short term parking lot and walk back across the street.”
“But I’ll only be a minute,” Rudy pleaded. The Patrolman put his hands on this hips and shook his head from side to side. “Okay,” Rudy said and got back into the car and pulled away.
It took him another fifteen minutes to find the entrance for shot term parking and an open space for the car. He hurried back across the street and passed the Officer, who was now telling another driver to move his car. Inside the baggage area Rudy found the four bags just as he had left them, but Pamela was nowhere in sight. He looked up and down the wide corridor hoping to see her among groups of people. Maybe she woke up and decided to return the wheelchair to the Sky Caps. He looked at his watch, 55 minutes had passed since he had left her. He went back to the police officer on the sidewalk and told him that the young women he had been with was missing and asked if he had seen anyone come out in a wheelchair. The officer asked what she looked like and how old she was. Rudy described her as a very beautiful blond, 5 foot 6 inches tall and about one hundred and fifteen pounds and twenty-seven years old. She was a doctor from New York City here in El Paso to find a missing friend. And that she only needed the wheelchair because she had had too much wine at dinner. The officer told him that no one in a wheelchair had passed him and suggested she probably went to the ladies room. Rudy thanked him and hurried back inside to find the closest rest rooms to where he had last seen her.
He waited outside the ladies room entrance and watched patiently for almost twenty minutes before asking for help from a girl coming out.
“Excuse me miss, I need your help. I’m looking for a lost lady friend named Pamela. She is not feeling well and may be inside the rest room, either sick or asleep. Could you go back inside and ask if Pamela is in there?”
The girl smiled and nodded her head yes and turned back to the door. She opened it and shouted “Pamela....Pamela, are you in there?” After a few moments without an answer back she looked at him and shook her head no, and walked away.
“Thanks” he called out to her back. It was now over an hour and fifteen minutes from the time that he had left her alone.
He walked back to the pile of luggage and had a Sky Cap load it into the trunk of the rental car. He wondered what he should do next to find her. Airport Security should be informed and an official report to the El Paso Police Department. A Missing Persons Report could not be filed prior to 24 hours in the case of a missing adult. It was after mid-night on a Sunday, not much could be done until tomorrow morning. He drove south towards the Rio Grand River and checked into a Mexican style motel just two blocks from Juarez. He wanted to be within walking distance of the border. He told the motel clerk that he would be staying for a week or two, maybe more. He would not be leaving until his business was done. He made a silent solemn vow, he would not leave without the woman he loved.
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