Hydrophobia

Crazy or Cruel?

                                                                   *Uncle Jack's POV*

Steven decided he wanted to take an interview with a very obnoxious fat lady who's name was Sunny Fridge. What was she? A warm refrigerator? That isn't even possible to have a warm refrigerator unless it's an incubator.

"Mr. Steve. It's only 4. Why do we have to get this interview now?" Bobby asked.

She was sitting on the couch, in her Pj's that she'd shown up in when she got here at like 6 in the morning, texting all the kids in her school to keep an eye out for Rose. That was just Bobby's way of 'helping' look for her.

"Well, I'm trying to get it on the 5 o'clock news. The sooner the better I always say." Steven answered sipping the coffee I'd made a quantity of.

"Sure you do." Bobby said rolling her eyes.

Sunny asked us some questions and thankfully she didn't ask us to stand in front of a camera. She just wrote our answers down and smiled a lot.

"I'll report this live from here on the 5 o'clock news and the 10 o'clock news. Neither of you has to stand in front of the camera. I didn't think you'd want to. You're both in sleeping clothes." She said in a voice totally unfitting for her stout form.

"I'm not standing in front of some camera like this." Bobby said giving the final answer.

"Like I said. You don't have to." Sunny said a little irritated.

So Sunny stood outside the aquarium and did her little reporting show for the 5 o'clock news and told us she was staying around until 10.

"Alright Mr. Fracito, let's go do some diving." Jacob said already in his bathing suit and wetsuit.

"Give me a second to get my swim trunks on." I said going into my room to change.

We dove another few hours taking small breaks every once in awhile then Jacob started feeling light headed so he headed inside to take a breather. I continued to dive.

"Mr. Francito!" Jacob called from the house "There's someone on the phone who wants to talk with you. He says he saw Rose."

I climbed up out of the water and dropped my air tank.

"Hello?" I asked once I'd reached the house and Jacob had handed me the phone.

"Hello. Is this the Francito residence?" The person asked.

He sounded like an old man and  was a little worried he was just some crazy old guy who'd found the phone number.

"Yes Sir. It is." I answered.

"Oh good I was a scared I'd dialed the wrong number when that nice young man answered." He said cheerfully.

I tapped my foot impatiently. I didn't want to be rude but if this man had seen Rose I wanted to know about it. Maybe he'd seen the 5 o'clock news and had found Rose washed up on shore somewhere. If he'd seen her she could be alive!

"Well now, You're probably wanting to hear about that girl of yours aren't you." He said finally getting to the point. "I saw her just a few minutes ago in the mall with two teenagers."

I wanted to cry. This man was either really crazy or he was just cruel enough to call me for nothing.

"I'm sorry Sir. I don't think that was her. She fell into the ocean. I don't think she'd be walking around the mall with two teenagers." I said trying to keep it together.

"No. I saw her. Looky here Sonny. I'm not just some crazy old man. I've still got a while to go before I lose my marbles. The mall closes in 45 minutes. I can try to find the group again.

He said it so seriously I almost wanted to believe him. I knew I needed to end the phone call so I asked for the man's name and number. Whatever would make him happy.

"My name's Kyle. Kyle Douglas. Do you want my home phone or my cell? Bwah I'll just give you both." He said then gave me his phone numbers.

I wrote them down and said a polite thank you and goodbye.

"Who was that?" Bobby asked.

She'd moved from the couch to the dining room table.

"Some crazy or cruel old man who says he saw Rose at the Jamestown Mall. (Note to Readers: Jamestown is a real place in Rhode Island but Jamestown Mall is not so don't go looking for it if you ever visit Rhode Island.) I don't believe him. Besides Newport isn't even that far from there. Only about an hours drive." I answered.

It was getting late so I decided to make dinner. I set up a large pot on the burner and dumped a bunch of chicken noodle soup in. It was the only food I had a large quantity of.

"Bobby?" I said as I turned the stove on. "Could you please get down all the water glasses from the top shelf. They're in the cabinet on the left. Also can you fill them with water?"

"Sure thing Mr. Francito. Do you use Tap water or water from the 'fridge?" She said.

"Tap. Don't worry though it's clean." I answered with a sigh.

This was going to be a long night.