Trapped in the Heat

"Mrs. Lowe, your husband's car is still in the company parking lot."

"Jessica, the amusement park staff is looking around, but they haven't found anything yet."

"Jessica, Chloe isn't at the office. I heard she's on a business trip with some guy."

I nearly screamed, "Then check her car for me! Sally is still in the car!"

Ahead, everything was blindingly bright. The sun was scorching, and the ground looked distorted from the heat.

I felt like my brain was distorted too. I was already speeding, but I did not care. Nothing could happen to my baby.

I was getting closer to the city, but I was not feeling any relief.

His phone was still off, just as it was on the nights that he did not come home.

On those nights, Sally could not sleep and would cry for her dad. "Did Dad get lost? Mom, can we go find Dad?"

I could not bear to tell her that he was probably at someone else's house... I lied and said he was working overtime.

But she kept asking to go to his company to keep him company.

The next morning, Charles would come back. When he heard we had been out looking for him, his expression would turn grim.

"Didn't I say not to get Sally involved in our issues? Jessica Jabs, can you stop being so childish?"

I remembered my daughter touching my tired face with her small hand. "Mom, I love you. Stop smoking!"

Ever since I found out that Charles had rekindled his old flame, I started secretly smoking on the balcony. Divorce or not, it was a very complicated problem. My daughter would secretly hide my cigarettes, like a little adult. I tried to hide my sadness, but she noticed anyway.

She would wrap her little arms around my head, whispering softly, "Mom, don't be sad. It'll be okay."

"Thanks, sweetie," I would reply, trying to muster a smile. She was just a child, yet she was so worried about me.

Before I left that day, she stood on her tiptoes, reaching up for a hug. "Mom, I love you! Come back soon, okay? We'll go to the amusement park and surprise Dad."

...

The car scraped against the guardrail with a loud bang. My heart pounded, but I did not stop to check the damage. My speed did not decrease. My phone rang again, and it was Charles.

I answered, my voice trembling, "Charles, where are you? Where's Sally?"

"She's in the car!" he snapped. "Why are you tracking me? What's the big deal?"

"Charles, listen to me. You need to get her out now!" I pleaded.

He wasn't listening and still ranting. "Jessica, this is ridiculous. Why are you making such a fuss?"

In the background, I heard Chloe's daughter, Holly's, mocking voice. "Forget Sally. She's always fighting me for ice cream. She wants my mom too!"

My anger flared. "Charles, check on Sally, damn it!"

There was a pause. "Are you using Sally as an excuse again? Holly's in a bad mood, so I took her to the amusement park. And all you're thinking about is Sally? She's spoiled because of you."

Holly's voice grated on my ears. "Stupid Sally, she's just a bad egg. She's probably staying in the car and watching cartoons, snoring like a pig."

I finally understood what was happening.

He did not want to jeopardize his bond with his first love's daughter, so he left our daughter in the car to watch cartoons.

Sally did not even like cartoons; she just wanted her mom and dad with her. How dare Charles lock our daughter in the car while she was asleep?!

Her cries for help echoed in my mind once more.

"Charles, I'll say it one more time. Go to the car and get our daughter out now. Please, whether you want a divorce or all the money, I don't care. I don't want anything else. If you want to be with Chloe, I won't stop you. I just want Sally..." At this point, my voice broke.

My desperate pleas went unheard.

He snapped, "You're using Sally against me again? Can't you think about Holly for once? She's from a single-parent home now... Chloe's struggling to take care of her."

Tears streamed down my face. "I'm talking about Sally! Her life is at stake!"

He sighed impatiently. "Sally, Sally, that's all you care about. Holly lost her dad and she's a shell of what she used to be… Sally's fine. She's in the car with the A/C on, watching cartoons."

I was shaking with rage. "How could you leave her alone in the car?! Just tell me where she is. What's the license plate number?"

He scoffed. "And then what? You think I don't know what you're up to? You say it's all for Sally. How childish. Aren't you resourceful? You even got people to track me down, so go ahead and find her yourself..."

Before I could respond, he hung up.

Then, his phone went dead.

I was beyond furious. Sitting in the car, I started screaming out loud and slamming my hand on the steering wheel. Why couldn't I just hold my tongue? All I needed was Sally's location.

My phone rang. It was Franklin, my coworker.

"Jessica, pull over to the side of the road!"

"What is it, Franklin? Just tell me!"

"Jessica, calm down. We found Sally, but..."