We recalled Elizabeth's words:
"You can be successful by accident. You can have a family by accident. But you can't have a successful family by accident."
The blue lights of police cars lit up the street in front of where we are staying in Buenos Aires. Your editor had summoned them after his youngest son, Edward, 16, had failed to come home. It was 2 AM.
"He's tall, dressed in a blue shirt and jeans..." we explained.
"Is it normal for him to stay out without calling you?" asked the federale.
"No...he's usually a good boy."
"Maybe he is just out with his friends."
"But we just got here. He doesn't have any friends here."
"Looks like he has some now."
Two hours later, we called off the manhunt. Edward came home. Not a care in the world.
"What's the matter? Why are you still up, Dad?" he wanted to know.
"Answer one of my questions first."
"What?"
"Where were you until 4 AM?"
"I was just out at a club, dancing..."
It is useless to argue with a teenager. Especially at 4 AM.
"Go to bed. We'll talk about it in the morning..."
"Okay...sorry..."
"When you told the police that your son had disappeared...did you say 'desaparecido?'" asked a friend. "They're sensitive about that. Because they rounded up thousands of young people they didn't like and 'disappeared them' in the '80s.
"You should have said: 'My son has disappeared. No, I'm not blaming you. I just want to find him.'"
Regards,
Bill Bonner
for The Daily Reckoning Australia
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About the Author
Best-selling investment author Bill Bonner is the founder and president of Agora Publishing, one of the world's most successful consumer newsletter companies. Owner of both Fleet Street Publications and MoneyWeek magazine in the UK, he is also author of the free daily e-mail The Daily Reckoning.
Comment by Laura on 1 May 2010:
I liked the story hahaha and I have to add that she really has a good boy as the party in Buenos Aires usually doesn't end before 6am. Now the government is trying to release a new law that will force night clubs to close at 4am due to the high level of alcoholism present on the teenagers...and yes, the society is very sensitive to everything related to dissapearance and similars. It is pretty understandable why. They are still trying to find the children of all those people killed for being opponents to the dictatorship, is very traumatic for the society. The Mothers of May are still finding their grandsons, terribly sad stories have been bring to light, but many families were able to get together.