I was lost

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I was lost. No, that's not strictly true. I knew where I had been, I just don't know how I ended up where I was now. In fact, even the memory of where I had been was foggy. A Sheetz gas station? That seemed like the place, though it might have been a Sonic or a 7/11. Now, though, now I was walking. There were several people in front of me, and several behind. I turned around when I realized I was headed onto a highway. I don't remember how I got there. Three men in uniform stood at an on ramp of the highway. One patrol car was parked in the middle of the road. Cars flew past us, but never coming close to hitting us. "Ma'am, are you alright?" I looked at the officer and thought how handsome he looked in uniform. I always liked a man in uniform. "I, where am I?" He told me the name of a city but I stared blankly at him. "California" I stepped back in shock at this. California? How did I get here? "I'm from North Carolina." His whole demeanor changed when I said this. He took me by the elbow while he talked into his walkie. "Another officer will be here to pick you up and take you somewhere safe." That's the last thing he said, the officer had already arrived. "Do I have to sit in the back?" I did, and I had to buckle up. "You won't be handcuffed." That was a relief, he must have seen the fear in my eyes. I got into the back and we were off. The man didn't speak much, but he did turn on the radio. "This might help ground you a bit." By this time I noticed the hunger pangs that were slicing through me. I remembered that I was about to take a bite out of a chili dog. I remembered that the man I was with paid for the meal, and that the name on his debit card wasn't the same as the name I knew him by. We drove down a series of straight, tree lined roads. We ended up on another highway and then on a busy street. The officer drove into the parking lot of a glass mirrored building. The sun reflecting off of it was beautiful. "You're family is in there." I walked into the lobby and was directed to a room with lots of tables and chairs. I recognized my boyfriend first. Then my aunt, my sister, my grandfather, some cousins, and my niece and nephew. I even hugged a woman I didn't know, but she was in the room with us. I was relieved to see them, there were gifts for me. No one talked much about where I had been. They just hugged me tighter, and encouraged me to eat. I ate corn on the cob with mashed potatoes, gravy and a pork chop. I drank truly sweet tea and savored it. All the while, I stared at my boyfriend and wondered about the name I saw on his debit card, the name that wasn't his.