Last night hubby and I went to a local mall to pick up a b-day gift for my stepmom and to finally buy the treadmill we've been hemming and hawing over. I always hate to spend a big chunk o'change on something I feel is a frivolous buy, but let's face it, we live in Florida and it's just too damn hot to exercise outside. Hubby's been complaining about wanting to lose weight ever since he re-gained the 30+ pounds he lost a couple of years ago. He worries about getting fat and I know he worries that I'll think he's fat, which is silly, because I love him no matter what. I also could use to get my pregnant butt off the recliner a bit more and the heat has just been unbearable for me. By the time it's a reasonable temperature outsite, the mosquitoes are in full force. I normally don't like to use bug spray and am paranoid about it now, and we've already had a couple confirmed cases of West Nile in the state. So, a treadmill it is.

While at the mall, we saw a slew of cops. Finally as we were getting ready to leave, hubby went up to one he recognized and asked if everything was 77 (that's copspeak for "is everything OK") and it wasn't. A mentally challenged teenager had gotten separated from her family and was missing. Cops were searching the mall and guarding each exit hoping to find her.

Today on the news I heard that the girl was found this morning wandering in a neighborhood an hour or so away, after an anonymous tip was called in. Later yesterday a security tape was discovered showing her leaving the mall with 4 unknown men, one leading her by the hand. Of course, the men were nowhere around when she was found.

I got so angry. How could anyone do such a fucking horrible thing? The men must have known that she was challenged and took advantage of it. The news report stated she was in good health and at a hospital for observation, but I wonder what the men did to her.