Alice was trying to understand it all

why would Dave tell her he was visiting an injured relative 

then move out of his home 

leaving his boys with her

sorry it looks like your boyfriend has done a runner 

said the man at Daves house

he seemed like a nice guy and a great tenant

he paid me his rent in cash every month

how long had he been living here asked Alice

only two months but he paid me an extra month before leaving

that means he rented the place after we first met thought Alice

she drove home fast to check on the boys

there was no sign of the them and their belongs were gone

she noticed the place smelled of cleaning products

stepping outside to look for the boys

she saw a neighbor working in his yard

have you seen two boys leaving the house she asked

yes they left with suitcases a while ago

than a couple of workmen in hazmat suits went inside with chemicals

I assumed you were having some kind of pest treatment

Alice became very concerned

she called the police to report the missing boys

they came very fast and listened to her story

the officer told her not to touch anything in the house

soon after a detective arrived

he asked her to describe the boys appearance

he nodded when she provided the details

the detective told Alice to listen carefully

we have been searching for this criminal gang for a long time

the boys are sophisticated computer hackers

they have given your bank account login details to the gang boss

we need your cooperation to catch them all emptying your bank accounts

Alice starting online dating two years after her divorce

she was almost fifty and very attractive

she was not looking to remarry

companionship was what she wanted more than anything

the vast majority of the men contacting her were much older

many were old enough to be her father

she focussed on those under fifty five

picking out a short list of five

just meet these guys for coffee her friends told her

be pleasant but do not tell them where you live

she followed their advice and met the first guy

he turned out to look nothing like his picture

subsequent dates were equally disappointing

mostly fat lonely old men looking for a younger woman

she had almost given up after four disappointments

then she met the fifth guy Dave

he was fifty two, handsome and charming

his wife had passed away after a long illness

he told her about his two teenage boys

wanting to be sure it was not a dealbreaker for her

Alice had never had children

she had many more dates with Dave

she felt herself falling in love with him

she found his sons to be well behaved and very polite

she asked Dave to bring the boys around for dinner

upon answering the door at the expected time

the two boys were standing there with suitcases 

there was no sign of Dave

Where is your dad she asked

the boys just shrugged and handed her a letter

I am sorry Alice but I cannot cope any more

please look after my boys love Dave