-1"Oh, my Homie," Marge sobbed through the tissue she was pressing against her face. She stroked the wood off the coffin, and looked one last time at her husbands face. "I will always love you, Homer!" she said. Lisa and Bart helped her back to her seat. Marge closed her eyes and bent her head as Homer's coffin was closed and carried out of the church.
"Marge?" Ned approached carefully, sitting down next to Marge. "Can I get you anything?"
"No, thank you, Ned," Marge replied and looked at the man her husband had hated since they moved to Evergreen Terrace.
"I know you are going through a rough time, Marge," Ned said. "I went through the exact same thing with Maude. Well, Maude didn't-"
"Ned, I don't want to hear a word about sin and hell," Marge said just a bit to loud, just enough for the entire room to turn towards her and stare.
"I'm sorry, Marge, I shouldn't have… Maybe I should go home," Ned said. "You know where I am, if you ever need me," he said and smiled at Marge.
"Thank you, Ned," Marge said. "Could you-"
"I'll make sure they leave," he interrupted her and nodded in understanding.
Ten minutes later and Marge was still sitting in the brown couch, crying. Why Homer? Why? He was so happy…
"Mom?" Lisa said, sitting down beside her. Marge was surprised how well her now 20-year-old daughter was handling all this.
"Lisa, honey," Marge said and quickly wiped the tears away.
"Me and Bart are going to get some pizza, do you want anything?" she said softly, holding Marge's hand.
"No thank you, honey," Marge said. "There should be some money on the kitchen counter, use that." Lisa nodded and kissed Marge on her forehead.
"Lisa, you coming or what?" a man's voice called from the hall.
"I'm coming, I'm coming," Lisa called back and got up from the couch to go out with Bart. "We'll be back in a second, okay?" Marge nodded and decided to get up from the couch.
"Don't rush, okay?" she said and stroked a strand of hair out of Lisa's face.
Lisa and Bart left, and Marge paced restlessly around the house. She sat down in front of the computer, searching for interesting jobs. She had to start working now that Homer was gone. Not that his salary had been anything to rely on, seeing he got fired at least once a month. More restless than ever, Marge felt that she had to get out of the house. The walls seemed to be closing in on her. Each room got smaller and smaller, until she couldn't breathe. Without thinking twice about it, she tore a piece of paper from a notepad, wrote a note for the kids and suddenly found herself in Ned Flanders's kitchen, with a steaming cup of tea in her hands.
"It's just, I don't know why he did it," Marge said. "He always seemed to be so happy…" Marge couldn't continue, the words clustered in her throat and tears burned behind her eyelids.
"I know, Marge," Ned said and patted her hand gently. "It can't be easy to handle, your husband taking his own life all of a sudden."
"I'm so worried about the children," Marge continued. "Lisa seems to be taking it well, but Bart - I just don't know. He seems so… quiet."
"I noticed," Ned replied and held Marge's hand in his own. "He's not himself."
"I know Homer never told him," Marge said, "but he was proud of his son. More than Bart could ever know."
"I think Bart knows. A child always knows." But Marge shook her head.
"I'm not sure," she said and fiddled with her wedding ring. She pulled it off her finger, just to try and recall how it was to be single. She looked up at Ned. "You look so different without your moustache, Ned."
"Really?" Ned seemed happy to hear this. "I figured it was time for a change."
"You're very handsome, Ned," Marge said, her eyes fixed on him.
"You really think so?" Ned said, but realized what Marge was trying to do. "No, Marge, you're vulnerable and I'm a good Christian, I could never-"
"Well, Ned, do you really think we will both go to hell if something was to happen?" Marge asked him simply.
"Not exactly, if we were both to say our prayers-"
"So lets do it," Marge said. "Homer-"
"Homer what, Marge?" Ned sighed. "You just lost your husband. I'm not sure I could handle- I'm not sure you really want- You just lost your husband!"
"Do you really think I just lost him now?" Marge said. "I lost Homer years ago. It's that woman, I lost him to her. And you really believe I don't know why he took his life? I told him, it was her or me. Apparently, he couldn't choose, so he took a shortcut."
"Marge, I never knew he cheated on you," Ned said in shock.
"Nobody knew," Marge sobbed. "Nobody but Homer and me and her. I caught them in our own bed, you know."
"Marge, I'm so sorry," Ned said and gripped her hand even tighter. "I never thought-"
Marge stood up. "This was a disaster. I'm leaving," she said.
"What if I don't want you to leave?" Ned asked and stood up he too.
---
Lisa and Bart sat together at the kitchen table, eating cereal and left over pizza for breakfast.
"Mom's been in Flanders's house since yesterday," Bart said.
"I hope she's okay," Lisa said and poured some milk into a glass.
