Chapter 4: Disappearance

By Jimmy’s next appointment the process was well-known. Park in a handicapped spot, come inside and initial and sign a form, then wait for Sharon to wheel him to the exercise room. When they arrive there isn’t a question as to where they’ll start or what they’ll talk about.

As Jimmy pedals the stationary bike to loosen the ligaments and muscles in his knee Sharon stands nearby to hear him continue his story from where they left off after his first pseudo-date with Bina.

Sharon prompts, “So you and Bina became a couple?”

“Oh, yes, we took it slow, but we were most definitely a couple. We tried not to show any overt displays of affection while in the office, but we did occasionally hold hands or offer each other a quick kiss. Our normal routine was to work as usual during the week and then go out on Friday or Saturday night, depending on how much time we felt we needed to be in the office over the weekend. Regardless, we always kept Sundays open for a full day together.”

“That sounds like a plan only a scientist would concoct,” Sharon muses.

“Probably, but it worked. We started to seriously talk about moving in together but then our academic paths took different turns. There were a series of studies that were creating a lot of excitement in the physics community. My dissertation did a great deal to describe an underlying theory that explained these recently published articles. It was easy for my committee to fast track my project and I finished my doctorate months ahead of schedule.

“Bina, on the other hand, hit another logical problem with her work. It wasn’t as serious as before, but it did cause a delay. This time the problem wasn’t as much from the logic issues, it was from her committee losing faith in her work. She needed to put in a lot of extra time and use more supporting evidence than she may have needed to had she not been hit with the second problem.”

Sharon asked, “And she was still focused more on weaponry than energy?”

“Yes, but we had talked through our long-term goals. It was too late for Bina to restart her dissertation so we figured she would finish her degree, and then she would start focusing on energy-related research when she got her first posting.”

Jimmy continues.

“When my dissertation was published I had my choice of schools. I ended up coming here as it was only an hour or so from Bina and we could still see each other on the weekend.”

“So you’re not only a genius, but you are a really famous genius, too,” pokes Sharon.

Jimmy ignores her comment.

“Even though we were living in separate cities we saw each other several days a month. Bina was done with her classwork so she had the freedom to bring her work with her for long weekends and come see me for three and four days at a time.”

“It sounds like you two were made for each other. What happened that we will be talking about Betty as your wife and not Bina?”

Jimmy takes his time before speaking.

“We were doing so well. When we were together we started making earnest plans on a wedding. Who to invite, what the ceremony should entail, the reception, and of course, the honeymoon. We would drive around town and scope out various neighborhoods with an eye for where we would want to settle, assuming she got a job in the same department as me.”

“We also started acting like we were married. Over the summer Bina went me with to a conference in California where I was to present a second, more detailed exploration of the theory I started in my dissertation that tied together more of the research from the past year. The conference was four days and we then spent the next three exploring the town as tourists.”

A long sigh is followed by, “Bina was also with me when I got the news that my parents had been killed by a robbery gone wrong.”

“Oh, no,” exclaims Sharon.

“A druggie was strung out and needed a hit so he thought he could raid his dealer’s house. Got the wrong address and busted into my parent’s house. When my mom screamed he opened fire and killed them both before he knew where he was.”

Sharon covered her mouth with her hand, “I’m so sorry.”

“Bina was a real support during that time. She took a week off from her research. She helped with all kinds of odd-job tasks, not to mention, she was my rock I relied on when I felt like cracking. In hindsight it sounds callous, but I took the easy way out and hired a firm to hold an estate sale and empty the house and then sell it. I also contacted the bank and closed the open accounts before I left town. When I left at the end of the week it was the last time I was there.”

After a moment of silence, Jimmy continues with his narrative.

“The only glitch in our relationship was when we made plans to go to New York City for a long weekend. The day before we were scheduled to leave Bina called and said she could not make it because several influential visitors were coming to campus. Her dissertation committee hinted very directly that she needed to find time for a meeting.”

“I was disappointed, sure, but I knew how academia worked and wasn’t surprised, so I canceled the trip and didn’t give it a second thought. When I later asked how the meeting went she was very coy and said, ‘good,’ but didn’t offer many details. I assumed it was a government agency, maybe the Department of Defense, that wanted a briefing on her research so I didn’t press.”

The next weekend when we see each other I did ask her again about the meeting. She confirmed that it was a top-secret meeting and that’s why she couldn’t discuss the details.

“I remember it like yesterday, she looks me in the eyes and promises that once her degree is over she will drop her work on weapons and start working on energy. We came together and made love right there on the living room couch, then lay entwined with each other for what felt like hours.”

“It was a Sunday and she had a committee meeting the next morning so she needed to head back to her campus by 7:00 to get settled before it got dark. By six we got up and had a quick snack and then I saw her off a few minutes before 7:00. As usual, she promised to call when she was safely back in her apartment.”

Sharon was afraid she knew the answer, but asked anyway, “And was that the last time you saw her?”

Jimmy was quiet for a very long time. When he spoke his voice wasn’t remorseful, but he spoke at a slightly lower volume.

“Yes, that was the last time I saw her, but probably not what you’re thinking.”

Sharon had heard a few twists already from Jimmy so she wasn’t too surprised to hear this revelation.

“Oh, what happened?”

Jimmy paused again, “No one knows.”

Now Sharon was truly confused. “No one knows? What does that mean?”

Jimmy tells her that by ten he had not heard from her, which made him a bit anxious, but on occasion she would have an inspiration on the drive back and would go straight to the department to work on her idea so it wasn’t forgotten overnight. Remember, this was well before cell phones were a thing so she couldn’t easily get me a message. Then, when she was in the lab after hours she would never answer the phone so it was pointless for him to try and call.