The Simple Reality

Never Been More Missed

"Hey," he greeted back over the phone, a voice worn and exhausted by this hour in the night. His hand held the phone to his ear while the other one was occupied with unlocking the door to his apartment.

"How was the show?" Linda asked. "I guess you survived," she joked. His mind had been overstimulated all day from those around him holding microphones to his face, cameras flashing, and people tapping on his arm. He was listening to his daughter speak but his thoughts used up his attention noting the house was far too silent. The lights were not on when he looked up at his apartment from the street, and as he entered the house he couldn't feel Agnetha's presence, as if he knew he wouldn't find her here, which subconsciously led him to call Linda before he could put one foot through the door.

"What?" He asked and then remembered what she said. "Oh. Yes. Roughly," he answered mutteringly, making his way into the hall and turning to switch on the light that illuminated a warm glow. "It was okay. It was really good in general." He peeked into the rooms, one after the other and frowned. "Aside from the... uh, well, you know." Björn had been lost in his puzzled thoughts when he listened to a chuckle from Linda. Immediately, still taken by his own thoughts, he interrupted her without any meaning to. "Is your mother next to you? She's not here. I thought she would be. And I haven't heard from her all day."

"No. She hasn't been home."

"With Christian?" he wondered aloud. "She doesn't go there this late."

"No, Christian was here not long ago..."

"Where is she then?"

"I thought she would stay in the city today."

"I thought too. It's what we planned. And I keep calling but she isn't answering. I'm just... I'm worried now."

"She has to be somewhere," she said, and her tone changed, picking up. "I will ask and see. I can check—"

And then he thought, it was odd. He knew she wouldn't be found with any person today. He remembered Agnetha saying to him before he had left for the Cirkus that she would stay at the apartment, not wanting to feel pressured with seeing anyone or even going out. Yet at the same time, she was nowhere where he predicted. At least, he should have heard from her by now and there was nothing.

"Linda, what is that app we use? Do you remember what lets you see the location of someone? What was it?" he wondered.

"Find My—"

Björn had it opened before Linda could name it. The idea to share locations with each other simply for safety reasons had him thankful on this day. He should have thought of it sooner, however hadn't predicted he would have to go searching for her like this. He was stuck and not responding to anything Linda said, not because he was ignoring, but because it hadn't occurred to him to switch the mode to speaker before checking up what he needed.

Being anxious from not knowing where she was had him pushing buttons in mistakes. Linda patiently listened to a list of muttering curses until he got it to work and she felt helpless on the other end.

He was in a mixture of relief and agitation to see the summerhouse as her current location. At least he knew now, although it had been the last place he would've expected. Björn placed the phone back to his ear. "She's at the summerhouse. I don't even know what took her there or how she got there. I'll go now. Sorry, darling. I didn't mean to startle you about it." His daughter had made a face at the surprise of hearing where she was.

"No, it's fine. At least we know. You'll stay there tonight?"

"Yes," he said. "It's pretty late. We'll call in the morning, okay?"