Caroline knew he was still alive because the truck had miraculously disappeared from its parking lot in front of her apartment along with two pairs of Levis while she was at work the day after the blow-up, but Charlie was nowhere to be seen. Tuesday turned into Wednesday and Wednesday became Thursday and still no Charlie. She was distracted, ill-tempered, and generally worthless at the store, and to make matters worse, she missed her appointment with Dr. Burkheit and had to make a new one for the following Monday. Her hair suddenly developed a mind of its own, sticking out in all manner of weird angles that neither gel nor mousse could tame. She couldn't button the waistbands of any of her fitted suits and was reduced to fastening her skirts with safety pins and elastic bands. "You look awful," said Sam, who had dropped by the store to rent a dress for a UPI function where Murphy was being honored. "Are you having a tough time of it?" Caroline sighed and looked at the gigantic run in her stocking.
