Chapter 1
Donna Returns
It was three in the morning when Donna woke up to an empty bed. She groaned when
she tried getting out of the soft and warm covers. Her plane was scheduled to take off
at six thirty in the morning and she wanted to take a long shower before choking on a
breakfast bar and cup of coffee as she waited for her taxi. She couldn't believe what
happened since she graduated high school ten years ago. It seemed like someone else's
life not Donna Pinciotti's. She was a globe trotting rock and journalist and when she
picked up her "writer of the year award" last month it hit her when she came home with
a party hangover to a lonely bed that it came with a price. She didn't want to see Eric.
Jackie told her that he was sharing an apartment with Hyde in Chicago. Neither man
wanted to admit their broken hearts that they lost the loves of their lives. Eric worked in
a boring office doing unfulfilling work. Hyde worked at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in the
restaurants kitchen. Not only was Donna going to have to deal with seeing Eric for the
first time in ten years but she knew she was going to be smack dab in the middle of the
continual Jackie and Hyde soap opera. Jackie was determined to get her "Steven" back.
There was a blue card on her kitchen table next to the perking single serving coffee pot.
The front was a bouquet of blue and lavender flowers with the words 'In Sympathy' in
cursive script, also blue.
Dear Eric,
I'm sorry to hear about the loss of your Mother.
Kitty was a great friend and like a Mother to me
also when mine went to 'find herself' in California.
If there is anything I can do for you. Please let me know.
Love Always,
Donna
She knew didn't know if she was going to be more angry at him if he called her up
on what she had written or worse yet if he chose to ignore it.
Hours later
Donna was tired from her flight and not being able to sleep in her old bed once she
got back to Point Place. Boring dead-end towns never change and she had to rush
straight to the floral shop to make sure the flowers were sent to the church and that she
could quickly drop the card to Eric in the Forman's mailbox while he and Red were not
home. She didn't even have to time to think of the grief they must be going through Eric
losing his overbearing yet caring Mother and Red losing the woman who gave him his
softer side.
Her Father was downstairs trying to reach Midge on the phone to tell her about Kitty, but
no one could get in touch with her. Donna should've realized when her Mom returned it
was only so she could run away again. She was about to sleep when she heard voices
from outside and damn it if she had to look. 'Oh great.' It was Jackie arguing with the
cab driver regarding her overpriced and numerous pieces of luggage. This was not a trip
to a sunny island where you could dream about running into your own arms. This was a
a funeral! Donna didn't want to deal with Jackie and knew it was only a matter of time
before Miss Perky came crashing into the room wanting to gossip over things they
already said on the phone a million times before.
"Hey, Donna!"
"Oh no." Donna pulled the covers over hear head.
"It's Jackie!"
"Do you have to be so goddamn happy? Mrs. Forman is dead."
"I'd like to think she'd still want us to be happy, Donna."
Jackie threw her luggage on the floor. "The rest of my things are downstairs. Would you
mind giving me a hand?"
"Jackie, how nice that you decided you could stay here!"
"You know I have to be close to where Steven is! I'm determined to win him back. I've
read all the strategies in Cosmo about getting your man back. You don't think Michael
will show up do you? I heard he's selling insurance in Sheboygan."
"I don't care about Kelso."
"You know Donna instead of being locked up in your old room—"
"Don't you say it."
"Comfort Eric."
"He's not even home."
"Oh, really? Well, when the taxi passed the front of his house, I saw him pick up a card
out of the mailbox."
"How did he look?"
Donna supposed that she always would care.
"How would you look if someone close to you died?"
"I'm NOT going over there, Jackie!" Donna was surprised that she got herself wound up
and that she had jumped out of bed to yell at Jackie.
"No one is asking you to, Donna. I just think he could use a friend right now and he
always loved you."
"Stop it!" Donna ran past Jackie and into her private bathroom making sure to lock the
door so Jackie couldn't barge in to offer her some more unnecessary and not well
meaning advice.
Eric took out two beer bottles that were chilling in the deep freeze and handed one
to Hyde as they sat in the basement.
"Can you fucking believe Laurie? Our Mother is dead and she sends her regards via a
tacky fruit basket from Hickory Farms."
"She was always a cold bitch, Forman."
"Speaking of cold bitches guess who I heard from today?"
It had to be Donna.
"Just because you and Donna broke up doesn't make her a cold bitch."
"You always wanted to go to bed with her so why don't you?"
"Forman," Hyde stood up, "Out of respect to your Mother I am going to let that
comment slide."
Hyde got up and walked back upstairs to leave Eric by himself to sulk. One perfectly
written sympathy card did not mean that he and Donna were going to be on speaking
terms again. Far from it.
Love Always?
Eric took the card out of his pocket ripped it in half and crumbled it before throwing
it in the trashcan. It reminded Eric of people who one minute say "They miss
talking to you period." Then you have an unfortunate argument and they treat you like
the scum of the Earth. Who needed that in their lives? Actually, Eric Forman did want
one thing and one thing only from Donna Pinciotti: Closure.