missing

jeff found out on monday that one of his friends is missing. he had been trying to call him for a few days to get his social security number; this friend had done some work for jeff's company this year and jeff needed the ssn for tax purposes. he hadn't heard back from him so he started calling mutual friends and no one else had heard from him, either.

jeff finally found one friend who knew what happened to him. i can't get into specifics, but he's missing on purpose. he's running away from something. just picked up and left. left his family and friends and life. and even though i can understand being scared in his situation, i can't understand running away from it. his life isn't in danger. no one wants to hurt him. but the responsibility he's running away from is enormous and it makes me sad to think that this person whom i knew and liked would do something like this.

jeff keeps telling me we don't know the whole story. and he's right. but we know enough to know that he's taking the coward's way out. and that makes me sad. makes me wonder if we ever really know people we think we know. jeff has known this friend for over 10 years...they used to work together. they used to live together. and they've kept in touch. he was an employee of jeff's for a few months this year. i even set him up on a date with one of my friends.

and now it seems we never really knew him and may never hear from him again.