She lays envelopes on his desk, and leaves Mode. On the street she looks back at the building. She tries not to cry, knowing that an era has come to an end. She takes a deep breath of the wet air, and climbs into the waiting car.
He goes into the office early the next morning, hoping that she'll be in her office. He stops by her office and finds it empty. He goes to his own office and takes a seat at his desk. He finds an envelope addressed to him, in an envelope, on her stationary. He rips it open. He reads, and re-reads the letter that is typed on her letterhead. He lays it aside, and moves onto the second envelope. He opens the envelope and pulls out a piece of paper, folded into thirds. He unfolds it and begins reading.
Daniel,
I'm sorry for leaving like this. Best of luck.
Wilhelmina
He puts her hand-written note back into the envelope. He sets the letters aside, and stares blankly out his window. He tunes out the world.
"Daniel?" a soft voice brings him into reality.
He looks up and sees his mother before him. "What do you need?"
"What are you doing?" she asks him.
"Nothing. Do you need something?"
"Why are you sulking?"
"I'm not," he lies.
"You are."
"Mom, please, just leave it alone."
"Is this about Wilhelmina?"
"How did you know?"
"I talked to her last night."
"She left," he says in a near whisper.
"I know," Claire admits.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I just found out last night."
"How am I going to replace her? No one knows this business like her."
"You'll find someone," Claire reassures him.
"Right," he scoffs with his head propped on his fist, staring into the distance.
"You're not upset because she left Mode, you're upset because she left you."
"What?" he looks up at her.
"I don't know what you said, or did, but... you screwed up."
"What I did? What I said? Why do you assume it's my fault?"
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I'm not comfortable talking about my sex life with my mother first of all, and second of all I knew how badly you'd react."
"You should have given me some warning."
"How did you find out?" he pries.
"Not important."
"You don't understand."
"I do, unfortunately."
"You think that you do, but you don't."
"Daniel you forget sometimes that I'm your mother..."
He cuts her off, "No I don't."
"Let me finish."
"Sorry," he apologizes.
"I'm your mother, and I know you better than you know yourself."
"I doubt that."
"You didn't know that she was leaving so I'm assuming that decision was rash."
"I guess," he nods.
"So something must have happened to make her want to leave."
"I don't know what."
"Are you sure?"
He looks at his hands, and then at her. "She asked me how many women I'd been with while I was with her."
"And what did you tell her?"
"None," he answers.
"So then why do you look so guilty? If you can't convince me, why do you think you could convince her?"
"There hasn't been anyone else. I've gone out with other people, to events. But I haven't been with anyone else."
"She didn't believe you?"
"No, she stormed off."
"Why do you look so guilty?"
"You wouldn't understand. It doesn't matter anyway, it was never going to last. I had just hoped that it would end on a better note."
"As much as the thought of you being in any sort of relationship with Wilhelmina makes my stomach churn, I can tell that you were happy, and you do deserve that."
"We agreed that it wasn't a relationship. It was just, meaningless sex."
"If it was just meaningless sex, then why haven't you been with anyone else?"
He looks away.
She waits a few seconds and then answers herself, "I'll tell you why, because despite your best efforts, you've fallen for her."
"She's the devil," he answers.
"That's why you want her."
He furrows his brow, "What?"
"She is the unattainable woman."
"She's attainable, just not for me. She doesn't have any feelings for me."
"Are you sure?"
"Of course. I wouldn't let her go if I wasn't."
"She told you she didn't have feelings for you?"
"No."
"I think that you should stop her from leaving," Claire advises.
"What? You hate her."
"But you don't."
"Why does it matter? I'm sure that I'm too late."
"So you're going to give up, that easily?"
"What am I supposed to do? She doesn't love me, she never will. She's going somewhere half-way around the globe. If she wants to go, I won't stop her."
"Do you know how many times anyone has ever told her no?"
"She never listens to them."
"Maybe it's because no one has asked her the right way, yet."
"Are you defending her?"
"No. I'm not. I can't stand the woman. She makes the devil look good. I can see how much you're hurting, and if it's because of her, then you should tell her."
"I should pursue her, even though she's uninterested?"
"I don't think that she's uninterested."
"Why do you say that? Did she tell you? Are you guys best buds now?"
"I know her. She either traps people, or pushes them away. If you're part of her scheme she traps you, if you get to close she'll push you away, every time."
"Why?" he questions.
"Because then you'd find out who she really is, that she's not a robot that the devil put together with spare parts. Heaven forbid anyone ever found out that she's got a heart, somewhere, way, deep, inside."
"How would you know?"
"I knew her before she was Wilhelmina. I knew her when she was nobody."