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“Thanks, bro,” he replied, “I will,” he said, giving Nick a brotherly dap. Nicholas pulled Zander in for a hug. He hated to see any of his family troubled. He hated that feeling of being helpless, wanting desperately to do something yet not knowing what to do. Nicholas felt for Zander and would do whatever he could to help his brother make it right.
Back in his car, Zander checked his phone again. No message, no missed call, no nothing. By the time Zander got home, there was more of the same. Ordinarily, it wasn’t in Zander’s nature to worry. The only situation he ever found himself worried sick about was his mother’s hospitalization. That same unquieted, unsettling feeling resided in his chest, causing an ache that was all too familiar. Zander didn’t care if he looked foolish or was worrying unnecessarily. Zsanine was essential to him. He could clearly visualize spending the rest of his life with her.
Zsanine mattered.
By the following day, Zander wasn’t the only one worried.
Zsa Zsa and her daughter talked every day, sometimes two to three times a day. That touch point was essential for Zsa Zsa. Yes, her daughter was a capable adult, but she was still a woman moving through the world, living alone. Those touch points assured Zsa Zsa that her daughter was okay, that she’d successfully navigated through the world that too often could be cruel, especially to women of color. She was worried, and after not hearing from her daughter for more than a full day, Zsa Zsa took that worry and concern to Shareef.
He was aware of the frequency of contact between his wife and daughter. It was that consistent contact that kept Shareef from worrying about Zsanine. So, when Zsa Zsa shared with him that she hadn’t spoken with their daughter in more than a day, the concern his wife felt became his. Shareef’s first thought was to check in with Zsanine’s brothers to see if they’d heard from her. They hadn’t. When Mustapha heard the concern in his mother’s voice and heard how unsettled she was, he became unsettled as well.
“Mom’s upset. Dad’s trying not to be. What are we going to do?” Brigham asked his brothers.
“Whatever is necessary,” Mustapha replied.
Shareef II was in total agreement. He and Zsanine were extremely close. He hadn’t said anything to his family prior to because he didn’t want them to worry, but Shareef had reached out to Zsanine several times and got no response. Shareef hoped that maybe his sister had just gotten super busy and forgot to call him back. But as the three brothers traveled to Zsanine’s place, he got the feeling that it was more to it than that. He was scared for her.
The ride to Zsanine’s was eerily quiet, each brother deep in thought, each trying not to think the worse. It was difficult. So much was happening in the world. Who's to say their family would continue to be absolved of the same?
Mustapha had barely parked the car in Zsanine’s driveway before all the brothers spilled out. Her car was not in the driveway. They were anxious. They noted that the house was quiet. Brigham knocked on the door and rang the doorbell immediately after. There was an impatient wait for a response. When they didn’t hear anything, Brigham knocked again, this time harder, hoping that by chance, if Zsanine didn’t hear them before, she’d hear them a second time. Still, no response.
“I have a key,” Shareef advised.
Mustapha and Brigham stepped aside. Once the door was opened, the brothers paid keen attention to everything. The first thing they did was call out to Zsanine. It was heart-wrenching when there was still no answer. Shareef picked up the mail on the kitchen counter. It was from two days before. Nothing in the house seemed to have been disturbed. Everything was neat and in place. Nothing other than the apparent absence suggested there was a problem.
“Let’s call the office,” Brigham suggested. “Maybe they know something.”
Just as Brigham was about to place the call, there was a knock at the door.
“I got it,” Mustapha replied, immediately moving in that direction.
Zander didn’t know what else to do. He didn’t know any of Zsanine’s acquaintances and had nothing more than her family’s name. All he knew to do was go to her house in hopes that she was there, in hopes that maybe he would get a clue, a lead as to what happened with her. He noted an unfamiliar car in the driveway when he pulled up. Outside of the car, nothing in the walk up to the house suggested that there was anything wrong.
But when Zander knocked on the door, and a man opened it, his heart dropped out of his chest. Everything he feared seemed confirmed at that very moment.
“Who are you?” The guy asked, equally as surprised to see Zander standing there.
“Zander St. Clair, Zsanine’s friend. And you are?”
“Her brother, Mustapha.”
“Is she here?”
“No, unfortunately, she’s not,” Mustapha admitted. He could see the disappointment and the worry on Zander’s face. It matched his.
“We were just about to call her office,” Mustapha advised.
Zander gestured for the invite in. Mustapha complied, stepping aside and then turning on his heels. Zander stepped inside, closing the door behind him. He followed Mustapha into the other room where Zsanine’s brothers were.
“These are my brothers, Brigham and Shareef,” Mustapha introduced, pointing to each brother as he introduced them. “This is Zander, Zsanine’s friend.”
Zander felt the brothers sizing him up. He was cool with that. He expected nothing less. But this was not about him. It was about Zsanine.
“We were just getting ready to call her office,” Brigham explained. He dialed the number and then put the phone on speaker as it rang the first time.
“St. Laurent Cleaning Services. This is Fawn. How may I be of service?”
“Fawn, this is Brigham.” He didn’t wait for any response from her. “Is Zsanine there?”
