LOOKING FOR LIPSKI

There was no reason for Lipski to wander off, but

wander off he did. At first no one noticed. A guy...a

summer's night...who knows, and who cares?

Then the chatter happened. Slowly at first, but

getting more frantic:

"Where's Lipski?"

"Lipski's missing!"

"Have you seen Louis?"

(Which threw me at first, because I only knew him as Lipski, and I've known him, his whole life).

Pretty soon the town was hunting for Lipski. All the volunteers in the Fire Department, they showed up. One of them brought a dog, thinking maybe they could detect a scent. His mother shared some underwear, it was all she could readily get her hands on, having done the laundry that very afternoon. The dog sniffed them, howled, and took off. We were all encouraged. But the dog stopped at the highway. He paced back and forth nose to the ground, but Lipski, it seemed, was in the wind.

By now it was almost dawning and folks were tired.

Someone had the notion that they needed a break,

so it was decided we take shifts in the search.

Dealing with limited resources, we really had no

choice. We decided to set three, twelve hour shifts,

staggered so one team rests, while two continue the

search. Handbills were handed out, news flashes

were generated, but the news is only news for a few

days. Two weeks was an eternity, and the news had

to move on. So, too, had people's lives, and most

returned to the necessary routine of their every day.

(There were a couple of investigators from the County, but they had a backlog, and 'how much time you going to spend...?' )

Only Lipski's most loyal friends remained.

It really didn't matter. We lost Louis Lipski that night.

It turns out, Lipski had had this 'thing' for a girl and he left the fair to pursue her. They had only met that afternoon at the Cyclone. Each of them addicted to the sharp, neck-wrenching, shifts in direction, the dizzying way  it makes you feel when you exited, you didn't want to stop, so you got back on...and again, and again...they coalesced in the centrifugal coincidence of the pairing, and partnered up in a chemical manner.

They were a great team, anticipating the 'snap' before it happened, laughing at the whip, daring it to whip harder. Finally the poor girl got sick and they both were covered in the results. They exited the ride as soon as it was over. She, so embarrassed, ran into the crowd. He followed, but lost her. He caught a glimpse of her being driven off in a black sedan. He ran after it, but to no avail. But he didn't give up...didn't come back where we could comfort him...commiserate with him...no, he impulsively caught a bus headed East, which is all he had to go on, so off he went. He never had a chance of finding her, but he took the excuse, and ran. Damn him.

V