"Mom. Mom. Mom...."

His voice trailed off.

"Please thimk through what your about to do; it's not fair to leave someone hanging..."

She would have babbled endlessly if he didn't stop her.

"Who left who hanging?!"

He yelled into the phone angrily.

"I was only thinking of what was best for you!"

"MOM!" He huffed outraged by her (be-lated) concern.

As he'd mentioned before, wasn't it her who'd given him up, therefore giving up on him?

"Frederick, I'm worried about you, please just listen for minute..."

"I've been listening for hours." Freddy reminded her glumly.

He hated her, but felt compelled to listen out of child-like loyalty.

After all, she was his mother.

On the other end of the phone, everything was quiet.

"Well?!" Freddy snapped impatiently.

"It feels like you take one step forward and end up six steps back...Know what I mean?"

Her voice was even though she sounded close to tears.

He gulped.

Yes, he'd been feeling that way lately.

His eyes flared with inner rage.

To admit that his mother may have an excellent point, was a weakness he couldn't afford.

"I. have. no. idea. what. your. talking. about." Freddy managed to say through clenched teeth.

She could sense his hostility.

It startled her when he spoke again.

"This is my life to lead...any way I want. I hope you understand."

"I do understand! But think before you leap or... plunge. Your so hard-headed sometimes!!!"

Not even his mother's cautionary words of wisdom would sway his decision.

"Sometimes goodbye is a second chance,huh mom?" He spit viciously.

On the other end of the phone, Amanda wiped tears away from her eyes.

He really didn't understand why she'd done it.

She had to give him up, otherwise, He'd never have had a fair chance at being a better person than she was...Amanda now saw her effort was in vain.

He'd ended up bitter after all.

It startled her when Freddy began to speak again.

"Mom, I'm taking my own advice...so,...GOODBYE!"

Amanda sighed, quickly trying to say: "I love y-"

Freddy hung up instantly, thinking to himself that his mother's last statement had never been true.

Trying to forget the phone call completely, Freddy focused his attention on the sparkly ring on the desk under his fingers.

Sighing deeply, he grabbed the keys to his chevy pick-up and hastily exited the house through the basement, stepping over the body in the floor.

Freddy swore under his breath. He'd have to deal with this later.

Upon reaching the red, beat up Chevy, Freddy hesitated thinking over his current situation.

He opened the door and climbed into the comfort of something familiar.

Turning the key in the ignition forced the great beast of steel to roar to life unhappily.

After a few minutes of driving in silence, he'd arrived at his destination:

The Craven Inn.

He hated that Loretta worked at this miserable, dumpy, gloomy, dismal....excuse of a diner.

He again hesitated at the door of the truck.

He could go home or do the scariest thing in the world...Amanda's words echoed in his mind...

After a second he smiled to himself, and threw open the door to the diner.

Scanning the room he found her standing behind the counter.

She saw him at the same time.

Her eyes lit up as she jumped the counter, realizing happily that her shift was over.

Rushing to Freddy's side, she threw her arms around him.

"Oh Fred, I've missed you!" Loretta breathed.

Freddy grinned.

He shouldn't have taken Amanda so seriously.

"I've missed you too," His blue eyes sparkled as he cleared his throat.

"I want to ask you something..."

Loretta's eyes were bright.

"Yes?" Loretta sighed, antisipating the question already.

"Would you-"

"LORETTA!" A sandy-haired lady called obnoxiously ruining the moment.

The couple shared the same look of annoyance.

"Betty....My shift is over. That means I am no longer on the clock, therefore, I am not doing anything else portaining to this establishment at any point in time tonight, so leave me alone...Okay?"

The sandy-haired woman shut-up watching the scene unfold like a soap opera.

A cheesy soap opera.

"Fred, continue." Loretta pleaded.

Freddy drew in a shakey breath before starting over.

"Will you marry me?"

The air was heavy for a minute as Loretta stood deliberating on saying 'yes' or 'no'.

Five minutes ticked by and still no answer from Loretta.

Freddy stood trembling, noting that even Betty looked uneasy.

"What are you waiting for? Just say yes!"

Loretta threw another more threatening glace at Betty.

"Do you mind?! I'm thinking here!...and I think...."

Freddy shifted uneasily.

"Yes."

Freddy stood stunned.

The opressive feeling in the room lightened as she kissed him.

When she eventually drew back she gasped another quick, more excited "Yes!" and just stood hugging his lean frame.

Freddy sighed in relief, smiled and slipped the ring in place on her finger.

After a few minutes of everyone saying "congratulation(s)!", Freddy lead Loretta back to his truck.

He opened her door for her, shuting it behind her as well.

As he climbed into the driver's seat and started down the road leading to Loretta's house, he couldn't hide a smug smile.

He'd just done the scariest thing in the world and survived.

Loretta was babbling about something beside him and he realized he couldn't focus on her words...

Because he was to busy thinking that this was truely the beginning of his second chance.