His side of the mattress was lower than usual. He flipped over and said, “Johnny?” In the light from the living room he saw that the other half of the bed was empty. “Johnny!” He got up. He hated to be alone and he sensed that Johnny had not just gone to the bathroom or the kitchen. He stumbled into the hall, eyes alert, mouth worried, body still clumsy with sleep. He staggered into Retta’s room and turned on the light. When he saw that her bed was empty too, he began to yell for either of them. “Retta! Johnny! Rettaaaaa!” There was, as he had feared, no answer. He went out onto the porch and sat down on the steps. He began to cry. “Why did they leave me?” he asked mournfully. “People shouldn’t go around leaving people.” He paused to wipe his tears on his pajama top. “I wouldn’t have left them.” Each statement made him feel worse. He began to cry harder. “Next time I’m going to leave them and show them how it feels.” Even the thought of this just punishment did not cheer him.
