This afternoon I received a disturbing phone call that one of my army mates had a domestic argument at home and has done a runner. We stay in touch every 6 months or so, but I know this individual very well as he has stayed with us on and off over the last 30 years so yes I know him very well..
The partner who got hold of me I have never met and she had to hunt for my number so she definitely knew about me, but had no idea I have known her partner for nearly 40 years. When I say did a runner he packed a back pack and walked out which was two days ago so the chances are he is sleeping rough in some bushes close by.
A stubborn individual which is a weakness and not a strength and have had some funny encounters or episodes over the years. His bulls party which I organized had me having the police handcuff him and return him to his future wife in the back of a police van. His drink had been spiked at the strip joint where the party was being hosted and he literally did a runner down the road with Bruce Lee moves for anyone trying to capture him. The problem is we did not want to hurt him and why we eventually had the police intervene. This was a funny story, but one of those you had to be there moments especially when he arrived home with us having a lot of explaining to his future wife.
In the meantime she has posted a missing person report with the police and asked me for some advice. What would I know as my first thought is he needs a good slap ,but have no idea what their relationship is like and can only guess from what has now happened. The idea you have an argument and walk out is not how relationships work and what happened to ignoring each other for an hour or not getting to that point in the fist place?
I would guess tomorrow this becomes more problematic as it is not safe sleeping rough in Johannesburg and I will have to go and locate him. The only problem is they live a good 60 minutes from where I live so this is not just down the road. His survival skills may have improved over the years so it may not be that easy to locate him. One can only use the information that you know about the person and forty years I know plenty so I would say if he is close by the chances of finding him are high. He is a pussy so camping rough for one or two nights will be the maximum or he is staying somewhere else or he will arrive at my home which is highly likely.
The worry is what if he is stuck in a ditch injured somewhere or worse which is a possibility, but a small one I would think. My instincts tell me he will be back home tomorrow or the next day having made his point as childish as this may seem. Honestly he sounds like a proper knob pulling this move and I would not entertain the worry as he needs to grow up and is kind of a clue why his relationships never last.
If you run away from your problems or tough times as I gathered he is unemployed then he will never get to grips with life and amount to anything. The tough times is what shapes you as an individual and as much as everyone would love to runaway from their issues it is far easier to face the music. My guess is he is at breaking point or past it and just needs time on his own to process things. Every one of us is different and handles tough times differently so this running away is not something I have encountered previously.
