Jean's private weekend away turned into a very public event
Jean has two daughters, lives alone with her Siamese cat and works in community education at the local college. She is divorced and although she has no one special in her life, she does have a ‘gentleman’ friend who she sees occasionally.
This part of her life Jean considers private, that was until everyone including the local newsagent, two policemen, and all her neighbours found out just what she had in mind when she packed her overnight case - including her toothbrush, which turned out to be a vital part of evidence.
Having bought up two children and following her divorce Jean thought that she was in the prime of her life - an independent career woman, with her own little house - she was free to come and go as she pleased. She does not consider herself over the hill just yet and is active in all aspects of life including the bedroom.
Although she doesn’t have a regular boyfriend there is a certain someone that she sees occasionally. Recently she and her gentleman friend decided to go away for the weekend. Jean asked her eldest daughter Jessica, 32, to look after her cat for the weekend. She didn’t go into any details about where she was going or who she was going with.
During the weekend, Jessica had tried to contact her mother assuming that she was either with friends or with Jessica's sister. After trying all possibilities, she turned to the police and reported her mother as missing….
Oblivious to what had been going on during her weekend absence Joan returned home and checked her answering machine and was surprised to hear that she had several messages from family and friends and neighbours. All of these messages were worriedly asking "Where was she and could she call them when she got home?" Joan then called her daughter asking what on earth was the matter.
It transpired that her daughter had called the police because she couldn’t find her mother. The police had carried out a thorough search of Jean’s house, including the loft (for her body!) and bathroom. They were convinced that nothing was amiss and that not many people who disappear or have been abducted take their toothbrush with them.
Later that afternoon Joan was visited by worried neighbours, the local policemen and
even when she went to buy a newspaper the newsagent asked where she’d been… It seemed that everyone knew what she’d been up to. So much for a private life!
She then sat down with her worried daughters and explained what she’d been up to - they didn’t approve at all, and didn’t like the idea of their mother going off for the weekend with men. Jessica even called her mother's friend and told him off for being so irresponsible and making her mother act so recklessly!
