Chapter 5
Goodbye, Wisconsin
Just as Donna surprised her co-workers by taking a leave of absence she surprised them by coming back early. She felt bad leaving her Dad under tense circumstances-and Eric. (yes, and Eric). She could sense that his eyes were moving in their wedding picture that she kept on her desk. Her life was worse now then it was before all this and she didn't know how much she could really blame Jackie for it.
"Stop looking at me!" She said to Eric in the picture and put the put it face down.
After all Jackie didn't make her sleep with Hyde, Jackie didn't get her pregnant, and Jackie didn't run out twice on her marriage. Donna was supposed to be typing up an article but she didn't care. She picked the picture up looking at Eric's cute gawky smile. She stroked his face with her hand. She repressed the urge to cry and was happy that her phone rang so she could fake being a professional for one day.
Next day
Jackie on the other hand threw all of her energy into her work. Damn Steven! She really should have known better, a part of her could understand his behavior another part of her couldn't it was HER after all and he knew that she regretted how things ended up between them. The best part of her job was when she got do consulting at various department stores with the beauty products that she bought for the stores. After a week home she had to go back to the Chicago store to train some Daddy's Girl who got an office job because her Father golfed with the store owner. She could sell anything to anyone. Twenty-five dollars for a lipstick? "It's worth it. It's packed with vitamins like A and E and our special patented ingredient lippucker7 guaranteed for kissable lips!" Seventy-two fifty for a night cream? "You can't beat that price for pure retinol which uses our SensiTouch delivery system." Jackie perfume? (Her dream come true!) "Soft and Sassy and only forty-five dollars for the purse size atomizer."
"Who pays twenty-five dollars for a lipstick?"
Jackie knew that voice and stopped making her display pyramid.
"Donna? I thought you didn't want anything to do with me anymore?" Jackie asked honestly.
"I might have been too harsh.I'm sorry. I'm supposed to check on a photo shoot down the street, but I really don't feel like it. Want to have lunch?"
"Are we going to eat this time?"
"Yeah. I'm starving."
"There's a nice restaurant on the fifth floor, but I don't think you would like it. (Just like Steven!) It's too expensive."
"Jackie think on how stupid it is to pay twelve dollars for a salad!"
"To be fair, Donna, they do give you a huge bowl!"
"I think you'll like David's. It looks like it's rich, but the prices are good."
"All right, let me get my purse."
"Don't tell me it's that ten thousand dollar one from Paris that one girl in my office has? She wasted her inheritance on it! Do you know what ten thousand dollars can buy?"
"You see, Donna, you were raised to be frugal, you don't know how to spend money freely," Jackie reached for her lip balm (twenty dollars fifty cents) "So, how are you and Eric? I loved that Vista Cruiser idea.It took most of the afternoon, but we found one in great shape and he used part of his IRA to pay for it. So romantic."
"I'd rather not talk about Eric."
"Why?"
"Jackie, what does, I'd rather not talk about it, mean?"
Eric was so happy that day! She hated parting with her one of her Tiffany's boxes but when he asked for one she knew he wanted to put the car keys in it. Steven was tough and hid his emotions, Jackie knew he was fine, she was the one who had to fake it everyday. Jackie knew she wasn't going to get involved in this but she hated hearing this news because she knew what a wreck Eric must be over it. She would find a way to get Donna to talk about it.
"Dad, what are you doing?" Eric felt the warm covers being ripped off his body.
"You have got to stop feeling sorry for yourself," Oh no here it comes, "Dumbass."
"Dad..."
"Your boss who has an Aunt who lives here came by and installed a computer in the den (note-the rarely seen room in That '70s Show) and guess what?
You can work from here instead of lying in bed all day feeling sorry for yourself."
"You aren't my boss!" Eric might have been older, but it still took a lot of guts to say that to his Father.
"No, I'm not your boss, but I am your Father who thinks you should be back at your own apartment in Kenosha, but your Mother wants you to stay here until the cast comes off, so as long as you are living under this roof you are going downstairs, turn on that computer, and do whatever the hell is you do on that thing! Understood?"
"Yes, sir." Eric replied softly.
"Good. And get dressed your Sister is coming in for a visit today."
Laurie! Good god no.
"Yipee." Eric replied in his infamous deadpan way.
Red closed the door and Eric put his head on his pillow for another minute of silence. He could not stop thinking about Donna.
**************************************************************************** ****************
Meanwhile in merry ole London, England 5PM
Awful. That's how Hyde felt as one of the no names good only for a f*** was putting her clothes on in the bathroom of his apartment. He was older now; this was not how he saw his personal life. He messed it up with Jackie (again) due to his defense mechanism, he and Forman never got to straighten things out, and he did think he and Donna probably should sit down and talk and they probably would have if she didn't get sick that day. He was wordless when the woman he screwed with no passion whatsoever kissed him on the cheek and mumbled something about "seeing 'im again". That wasn't likely. Then Hyde thought of his career he liked working for an indie record label and producing music but the one good thing about going to the U.S. again was that it was home. He was glad Mrs. Forman supported him, she really was a great lady. He was still confused on why Red pressed charges, Hyde was defending himself against the homicidal rage that surprisingly was Eric Forman that night. Guess blood was thicker than water he thought. This phase of his life was over. He was going back to America, he didn't know where, but he needed to get back on his own soil. Because working here always felt like he was running away from life. After all he could've worked in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and even Milwaukee. He was going to do the proper thing and give the label two weeks notice, even though it wasn't an office job he still wanted to be professional enough to leave with grace. Then it was off to a new start, somewhere else. Not to run away, but to begin again. He much didn't feel like cooking and just reheated some pizza (he was sorry but the Brits made terrible pizza) in the microwave and ate alone-again.
Just as Jackie thought Donna would loosen up once she ordered a bottle of wine for the table. Jackie picked at her salad, she hated brown spots in her lettuce and the fancy restaurant in the department store would never serve it this way!
"While I wish you didn't run and tell Eric what I told you, I'm sorry for treating you like dirt." Donna poured more wine in her glass.
"Don't worry about it. What really happened? I thought you two were going to get back together?" Which also would have meant she wouldn't have to worry about Donna wanting Steven.
"Kitty. She thinks I ruined Eric's life. Which maybe, I did. Didn't I tell you I didn't want to talk about him? I think that was before I started on this bottle of wine." Donna thought out loud.
"You didn't ruin Eric's life, he's loved you for like forever!"
"Kitty called me a whore, which you overheard that night. She's holding a grudge against me for sleeping with Hyde a very long time ago, BEFORE Eric and I were married, but when she found out about you know the pregnancy She flipped out. And I couldn't take it anymore."
The waiter put their lunch on the table. Jackie thought the pasta looked gross, but didn't want to offend Donna's taste in eating establishments.
"But you didn't marry Mrs. Forman you married Eric." Jackie took a sip of her ice water.
"Eric and I were good a high school couple, peaked as a college couple, but for us to get married was downright cliché."
"Donna! You keep saying you love him, but you have a very funny way of showing it."
"Jackie, that's what people don't get, I do love him, but not as a wife. We should have dissolved sooner. I suppose it was easier not to."
"This is Eric Forman you are talking about. Not Michael Kelso. Now that was downright cliché."
"You two were good entertainment." Donna said wanting to change the subject. she picked at her French fries.
Jackie couldn't help but feel immense pity for Eric. She could relate. There had to be more to this than what was on the surface. After all Midge left, but Midge just left, she didn't stay around to torment Bob and Donna. Donna always gave Eric these false hopes, almost stringing him along and that was not right. Jackie literally bit her tongue she could just picture Eric's self worth being eaten up by the big lumberjack Donna monster, and god help Jackie she hated Donna for breaking his heart like that.
"Eric, I don't hear you typing in there!" Red yelled from living room.
"Well turn up your hearing aid cause I'm printing." Eric said under his breath.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing, Dad." Eric sighed as the doorbell rang. Oh great his slutty older sister was coming for a little visit, he couldn't wait! Laurie didn't have a job (surprise) but she had two ex-husbands and one son Todd age three. Eric wasn't about to go out there but downloaded an instant messenger program once his document stopped printing.
"Eric, are you deaf? Your sister is here," Red peeked his head in, "Instant messenger?"
"Dad, I'm not a kid anymore don't you think it's odd to yell at me as if
I still were?"
"No, now get your dumbass out in the living room."
Eric wanted to bang his head against the wall. Ugh.
Kitty always had a tense relationship with Laurie but was so happy to have one Grandchild that she tried not to be judgmental in her daughter's life decisions.
"Where's the baby?" Kitty said
"With his Father."
"Oh, that's too bad. I'll get the coffee and cake!"
Eric came in on his crutches, "Hi, Laurie." He replied tensely.
"Eric," She flashed her evil smile, "Heard you and Hyde got into it. Real smart."
"Drop dead."
Red brought in her bags and put them on the stairs and Eric seriously wondered even with a broken leg would Red expect him to take up her suitcases?
"Thanks, Daddy!"
"It's so great to have both my kids home!" Kitty put the desert plates out and Eric wished he was somewhere else. Eric couldn't believe his Mother! She expected them to be all buddy-buddy like nothing happened, like no words Were ever said. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea to go back to Kenosha after all.
Email to Eric Forman: ericf_@yahoo.com Subject line: Not Sticking My Nose In From: Jackie Burkhart Worthington jbw@juno.com
Hello Eric,
I hope you don't mind me emailing you, I found your address in a search engine. I just had lunch with Donna and I'm sorry that it didn't work out for you. If you just want to talk to somebody who understands email me-or you can instant message me at NYJackie. Although I think there's something Donna's not admitting and I don't think it has to do with all that Steven stuff. But I'm not sticking my nose in, honest.
Write if you want to, Jackie
A week later
Eric woke up to a loud hammering sound coming from outside. He almost forgot his leg was broken.
"Well isn't this just..." Eric heard his Mother say before she closed her bedroom door.
Eric got his crutches and went to see what was going on. His Father had the front door open, Eric was getting better going up and down the stairs with his crutches, but still couldn't wait for this cast to get off and go back to his own apartment.
"Dad." Eric went outside. The morning newspaper was still on the porch.
No one was around and felt like Armageddon. He saw a woman in a sharp blue blazer and beige skirt get into a business car which said "Point Place Realtors" on it.
"Please, no." Eric said as he looked over at the Pinciotti's front yard and saw that the house was now for sale. "F***!" This had to be Donna's idea her Father was a senior citizen now he wouldn't move unless he needed 24 hour hospitalization. There was Red talking to Bob on the front porch.
For sale? For sale? For f***ing sale?!
"Eric," Kitty snapped him out of his thoughts, "You shouldn't be outside without your robe on, it's freezing! I'll make you breakfast."
"For sale, Mom? When did this happen?!"
"I'll make homemade waffles!" Kitty didn't want to get Eric even more angry by going into an anti-Donna tirade.
Eric looked at the house as he went back to his. Each day hurt more and more. Could his Mother have been right about the woman he loved since they were little kids? Eric sat down across from Laurie who was still here putting her make up on at the dinner table.
"Bob's not going to get anywhere near the price he's asking for." Red said trying to make it seem like an ordinary thing-just a neighbor moving from the neighborhood.
"Where's Mr. Pinciotti going to be living, Daddy?" Eric wanted to smack her batting eyelashes.
"I know, I know," Eric raised his hand as if he were an excited pupil in grade school, "With his daughter Donna in her lovely, single woman apartment in Chicago, because she knows we live next store!" Eric slammed his silverware down. He'd have gotten up and left in a huff, but with a broken leg he couldn't make those dramatic exits.
"Eric." Kitty started to say
"Don't you dare, Mom. I'm in no mood for breakfast, I'm going to go to Chicago to see Donna and tell her it's over and that we better proceed with the divorce proceedings." He got up from the chair, grabbed his stupid crutches and went to get dressed.
Hyde put his headphones on as he tried to fall asleep on the plane ride. He was able to leave one week early. He didn't open his eyes when he felt a passenger sit next to him. Who was driving him crazy with their incessant munching, crunching, and slurping because his headphone batteries were dying. He took his headphones off.
"Fez?!"
"Hyde! My best friend Hyde from high school!" Fez replied in his youthful optimism. Fez gave him a candy packet from the Fez Confectionary Company-Where every mouthful is guaranteed to give you a Good Day. There was a little cartoon Fez on the wrapper and a bubble by his head that said, "I said Good Day". Hyde hated capitalism and greed but he had to admit this marketing campaign was genius.
"So are you on work or pleasure?" Hyde asked
"Both. So how is everybody?" God bless Fez. He thought everyone remained tight friends.
"Let's see, I almost killed Forman."
"You almost killed Eric? That makes Fez very sad."
"It's a long story but only because he was trying to kill me first."
"Oh, I see. Are you still with Jackie?"
"No."
"How's Donna?"
"She's is editor-in-chief for a music magazine."
"Kelso?"
"I don't give a f*** where Kelso is."
"When we graduated high school, we were all so happy."
"No, we were all so stoned!" Hyde hoped he didn't say that too loud.
"Fez misses The Circle." He took out his newest creation a watermelon and fudge lollipop.
"Watermelon and fudge? That's disgusting." Hyde replied.
"It's a very popular flavor in my country."
For the first time in a long time Hyde laughed.
Fez was a nice distraction. He was a friend with absolutely no baggage attached to him. Hyde found a spare pair of batteries in his carry-on and put his headphones back on as Fez fell asleep with his watermelon/fudge pop in his mouth.
Eric tried to remain focused but every-so-often he would think of little flashbacks of his and Donna's youth together like playing basketball in their yards and air hockey at The Hub.
"Do you have an appointment?" asked the secretary
"I don't think you understand," he tried to remain calm, "I'm Eric Forman and Donna Pinciotti is my wife."
Eric was surprised when Donna opened the door. "It's okay," Donna told the secretary, "Come in, Eric."
Donna closed the door and Eric felt the urge to throw up. But he followed his Mother's advice just take a deep breath and say what you have to say.
"Donna, I didn't come here for small talk. Our marriage is nothing but a joke and it was like that before any of this Hyde stuff came to the surface, you've been dragging my heart along, giving me false hopes and that's not fair to either one of us. And having your Dad putting your house on the market out of the blue like that. Well it's over Donna, I'm tired, and I cannot take this bull****. Especially from someone I loved with all my heart, for all these years. I think the best decision is to get our divorce finalized." Eric didn't have time to notice Donna's reaction or to wait for a reply, he went to the nearest men's restroom and got sick. While Donna who remained emotionless picked up her cell phone to call her divorce lawyer.
Just as Donna surprised her co-workers by taking a leave of absence she surprised them by coming back early. She felt bad leaving her Dad under tense circumstances-and Eric. (yes, and Eric). She could sense that his eyes were moving in their wedding picture that she kept on her desk. Her life was worse now then it was before all this and she didn't know how much she could really blame Jackie for it.
"Stop looking at me!" She said to Eric in the picture and put the put it face down.
After all Jackie didn't make her sleep with Hyde, Jackie didn't get her pregnant, and Jackie didn't run out twice on her marriage. Donna was supposed to be typing up an article but she didn't care. She picked the picture up looking at Eric's cute gawky smile. She stroked his face with her hand. She repressed the urge to cry and was happy that her phone rang so she could fake being a professional for one day.
Next day
Jackie on the other hand threw all of her energy into her work. Damn Steven! She really should have known better, a part of her could understand his behavior another part of her couldn't it was HER after all and he knew that she regretted how things ended up between them. The best part of her job was when she got do consulting at various department stores with the beauty products that she bought for the stores. After a week home she had to go back to the Chicago store to train some Daddy's Girl who got an office job because her Father golfed with the store owner. She could sell anything to anyone. Twenty-five dollars for a lipstick? "It's worth it. It's packed with vitamins like A and E and our special patented ingredient lippucker7 guaranteed for kissable lips!" Seventy-two fifty for a night cream? "You can't beat that price for pure retinol which uses our SensiTouch delivery system." Jackie perfume? (Her dream come true!) "Soft and Sassy and only forty-five dollars for the purse size atomizer."
"Who pays twenty-five dollars for a lipstick?"
Jackie knew that voice and stopped making her display pyramid.
"Donna? I thought you didn't want anything to do with me anymore?" Jackie asked honestly.
"I might have been too harsh.I'm sorry. I'm supposed to check on a photo shoot down the street, but I really don't feel like it. Want to have lunch?"
"Are we going to eat this time?"
"Yeah. I'm starving."
"There's a nice restaurant on the fifth floor, but I don't think you would like it. (Just like Steven!) It's too expensive."
"Jackie think on how stupid it is to pay twelve dollars for a salad!"
"To be fair, Donna, they do give you a huge bowl!"
"I think you'll like David's. It looks like it's rich, but the prices are good."
"All right, let me get my purse."
"Don't tell me it's that ten thousand dollar one from Paris that one girl in my office has? She wasted her inheritance on it! Do you know what ten thousand dollars can buy?"
"You see, Donna, you were raised to be frugal, you don't know how to spend money freely," Jackie reached for her lip balm (twenty dollars fifty cents) "So, how are you and Eric? I loved that Vista Cruiser idea.It took most of the afternoon, but we found one in great shape and he used part of his IRA to pay for it. So romantic."
"I'd rather not talk about Eric."
"Why?"
"Jackie, what does, I'd rather not talk about it, mean?"
Eric was so happy that day! She hated parting with her one of her Tiffany's boxes but when he asked for one she knew he wanted to put the car keys in it. Steven was tough and hid his emotions, Jackie knew he was fine, she was the one who had to fake it everyday. Jackie knew she wasn't going to get involved in this but she hated hearing this news because she knew what a wreck Eric must be over it. She would find a way to get Donna to talk about it.
"Dad, what are you doing?" Eric felt the warm covers being ripped off his body.
"You have got to stop feeling sorry for yourself," Oh no here it comes, "Dumbass."
"Dad..."
"Your boss who has an Aunt who lives here came by and installed a computer in the den (note-the rarely seen room in That '70s Show) and guess what?
You can work from here instead of lying in bed all day feeling sorry for yourself."
"You aren't my boss!" Eric might have been older, but it still took a lot of guts to say that to his Father.
"No, I'm not your boss, but I am your Father who thinks you should be back at your own apartment in Kenosha, but your Mother wants you to stay here until the cast comes off, so as long as you are living under this roof you are going downstairs, turn on that computer, and do whatever the hell is you do on that thing! Understood?"
"Yes, sir." Eric replied softly.
"Good. And get dressed your Sister is coming in for a visit today."
Laurie! Good god no.
"Yipee." Eric replied in his infamous deadpan way.
Red closed the door and Eric put his head on his pillow for another minute of silence. He could not stop thinking about Donna.
**************************************************************************** ****************
Meanwhile in merry ole London, England 5PM
Awful. That's how Hyde felt as one of the no names good only for a f*** was putting her clothes on in the bathroom of his apartment. He was older now; this was not how he saw his personal life. He messed it up with Jackie (again) due to his defense mechanism, he and Forman never got to straighten things out, and he did think he and Donna probably should sit down and talk and they probably would have if she didn't get sick that day. He was wordless when the woman he screwed with no passion whatsoever kissed him on the cheek and mumbled something about "seeing 'im again". That wasn't likely. Then Hyde thought of his career he liked working for an indie record label and producing music but the one good thing about going to the U.S. again was that it was home. He was glad Mrs. Forman supported him, she really was a great lady. He was still confused on why Red pressed charges, Hyde was defending himself against the homicidal rage that surprisingly was Eric Forman that night. Guess blood was thicker than water he thought. This phase of his life was over. He was going back to America, he didn't know where, but he needed to get back on his own soil. Because working here always felt like he was running away from life. After all he could've worked in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and even Milwaukee. He was going to do the proper thing and give the label two weeks notice, even though it wasn't an office job he still wanted to be professional enough to leave with grace. Then it was off to a new start, somewhere else. Not to run away, but to begin again. He much didn't feel like cooking and just reheated some pizza (he was sorry but the Brits made terrible pizza) in the microwave and ate alone-again.
Just as Jackie thought Donna would loosen up once she ordered a bottle of wine for the table. Jackie picked at her salad, she hated brown spots in her lettuce and the fancy restaurant in the department store would never serve it this way!
"While I wish you didn't run and tell Eric what I told you, I'm sorry for treating you like dirt." Donna poured more wine in her glass.
"Don't worry about it. What really happened? I thought you two were going to get back together?" Which also would have meant she wouldn't have to worry about Donna wanting Steven.
"Kitty. She thinks I ruined Eric's life. Which maybe, I did. Didn't I tell you I didn't want to talk about him? I think that was before I started on this bottle of wine." Donna thought out loud.
"You didn't ruin Eric's life, he's loved you for like forever!"
"Kitty called me a whore, which you overheard that night. She's holding a grudge against me for sleeping with Hyde a very long time ago, BEFORE Eric and I were married, but when she found out about you know the pregnancy She flipped out. And I couldn't take it anymore."
The waiter put their lunch on the table. Jackie thought the pasta looked gross, but didn't want to offend Donna's taste in eating establishments.
"But you didn't marry Mrs. Forman you married Eric." Jackie took a sip of her ice water.
"Eric and I were good a high school couple, peaked as a college couple, but for us to get married was downright cliché."
"Donna! You keep saying you love him, but you have a very funny way of showing it."
"Jackie, that's what people don't get, I do love him, but not as a wife. We should have dissolved sooner. I suppose it was easier not to."
"This is Eric Forman you are talking about. Not Michael Kelso. Now that was downright cliché."
"You two were good entertainment." Donna said wanting to change the subject. she picked at her French fries.
Jackie couldn't help but feel immense pity for Eric. She could relate. There had to be more to this than what was on the surface. After all Midge left, but Midge just left, she didn't stay around to torment Bob and Donna. Donna always gave Eric these false hopes, almost stringing him along and that was not right. Jackie literally bit her tongue she could just picture Eric's self worth being eaten up by the big lumberjack Donna monster, and god help Jackie she hated Donna for breaking his heart like that.
"Eric, I don't hear you typing in there!" Red yelled from living room.
"Well turn up your hearing aid cause I'm printing." Eric said under his breath.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing, Dad." Eric sighed as the doorbell rang. Oh great his slutty older sister was coming for a little visit, he couldn't wait! Laurie didn't have a job (surprise) but she had two ex-husbands and one son Todd age three. Eric wasn't about to go out there but downloaded an instant messenger program once his document stopped printing.
"Eric, are you deaf? Your sister is here," Red peeked his head in, "Instant messenger?"
"Dad, I'm not a kid anymore don't you think it's odd to yell at me as if
I still were?"
"No, now get your dumbass out in the living room."
Eric wanted to bang his head against the wall. Ugh.
Kitty always had a tense relationship with Laurie but was so happy to have one Grandchild that she tried not to be judgmental in her daughter's life decisions.
"Where's the baby?" Kitty said
"With his Father."
"Oh, that's too bad. I'll get the coffee and cake!"
Eric came in on his crutches, "Hi, Laurie." He replied tensely.
"Eric," She flashed her evil smile, "Heard you and Hyde got into it. Real smart."
"Drop dead."
Red brought in her bags and put them on the stairs and Eric seriously wondered even with a broken leg would Red expect him to take up her suitcases?
"Thanks, Daddy!"
"It's so great to have both my kids home!" Kitty put the desert plates out and Eric wished he was somewhere else. Eric couldn't believe his Mother! She expected them to be all buddy-buddy like nothing happened, like no words Were ever said. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea to go back to Kenosha after all.
Email to Eric Forman: ericf_@yahoo.com Subject line: Not Sticking My Nose In From: Jackie Burkhart Worthington jbw@juno.com
Hello Eric,
I hope you don't mind me emailing you, I found your address in a search engine. I just had lunch with Donna and I'm sorry that it didn't work out for you. If you just want to talk to somebody who understands email me-or you can instant message me at NYJackie. Although I think there's something Donna's not admitting and I don't think it has to do with all that Steven stuff. But I'm not sticking my nose in, honest.
Write if you want to, Jackie
A week later
Eric woke up to a loud hammering sound coming from outside. He almost forgot his leg was broken.
"Well isn't this just..." Eric heard his Mother say before she closed her bedroom door.
Eric got his crutches and went to see what was going on. His Father had the front door open, Eric was getting better going up and down the stairs with his crutches, but still couldn't wait for this cast to get off and go back to his own apartment.
"Dad." Eric went outside. The morning newspaper was still on the porch.
No one was around and felt like Armageddon. He saw a woman in a sharp blue blazer and beige skirt get into a business car which said "Point Place Realtors" on it.
"Please, no." Eric said as he looked over at the Pinciotti's front yard and saw that the house was now for sale. "F***!" This had to be Donna's idea her Father was a senior citizen now he wouldn't move unless he needed 24 hour hospitalization. There was Red talking to Bob on the front porch.
For sale? For sale? For f***ing sale?!
"Eric," Kitty snapped him out of his thoughts, "You shouldn't be outside without your robe on, it's freezing! I'll make you breakfast."
"For sale, Mom? When did this happen?!"
"I'll make homemade waffles!" Kitty didn't want to get Eric even more angry by going into an anti-Donna tirade.
Eric looked at the house as he went back to his. Each day hurt more and more. Could his Mother have been right about the woman he loved since they were little kids? Eric sat down across from Laurie who was still here putting her make up on at the dinner table.
"Bob's not going to get anywhere near the price he's asking for." Red said trying to make it seem like an ordinary thing-just a neighbor moving from the neighborhood.
"Where's Mr. Pinciotti going to be living, Daddy?" Eric wanted to smack her batting eyelashes.
"I know, I know," Eric raised his hand as if he were an excited pupil in grade school, "With his daughter Donna in her lovely, single woman apartment in Chicago, because she knows we live next store!" Eric slammed his silverware down. He'd have gotten up and left in a huff, but with a broken leg he couldn't make those dramatic exits.
"Eric." Kitty started to say
"Don't you dare, Mom. I'm in no mood for breakfast, I'm going to go to Chicago to see Donna and tell her it's over and that we better proceed with the divorce proceedings." He got up from the chair, grabbed his stupid crutches and went to get dressed.
Hyde put his headphones on as he tried to fall asleep on the plane ride. He was able to leave one week early. He didn't open his eyes when he felt a passenger sit next to him. Who was driving him crazy with their incessant munching, crunching, and slurping because his headphone batteries were dying. He took his headphones off.
"Fez?!"
"Hyde! My best friend Hyde from high school!" Fez replied in his youthful optimism. Fez gave him a candy packet from the Fez Confectionary Company-Where every mouthful is guaranteed to give you a Good Day. There was a little cartoon Fez on the wrapper and a bubble by his head that said, "I said Good Day". Hyde hated capitalism and greed but he had to admit this marketing campaign was genius.
"So are you on work or pleasure?" Hyde asked
"Both. So how is everybody?" God bless Fez. He thought everyone remained tight friends.
"Let's see, I almost killed Forman."
"You almost killed Eric? That makes Fez very sad."
"It's a long story but only because he was trying to kill me first."
"Oh, I see. Are you still with Jackie?"
"No."
"How's Donna?"
"She's is editor-in-chief for a music magazine."
"Kelso?"
"I don't give a f*** where Kelso is."
"When we graduated high school, we were all so happy."
"No, we were all so stoned!" Hyde hoped he didn't say that too loud.
"Fez misses The Circle." He took out his newest creation a watermelon and fudge lollipop.
"Watermelon and fudge? That's disgusting." Hyde replied.
"It's a very popular flavor in my country."
For the first time in a long time Hyde laughed.
Fez was a nice distraction. He was a friend with absolutely no baggage attached to him. Hyde found a spare pair of batteries in his carry-on and put his headphones back on as Fez fell asleep with his watermelon/fudge pop in his mouth.
Eric tried to remain focused but every-so-often he would think of little flashbacks of his and Donna's youth together like playing basketball in their yards and air hockey at The Hub.
"Do you have an appointment?" asked the secretary
"I don't think you understand," he tried to remain calm, "I'm Eric Forman and Donna Pinciotti is my wife."
Eric was surprised when Donna opened the door. "It's okay," Donna told the secretary, "Come in, Eric."
Donna closed the door and Eric felt the urge to throw up. But he followed his Mother's advice just take a deep breath and say what you have to say.
"Donna, I didn't come here for small talk. Our marriage is nothing but a joke and it was like that before any of this Hyde stuff came to the surface, you've been dragging my heart along, giving me false hopes and that's not fair to either one of us. And having your Dad putting your house on the market out of the blue like that. Well it's over Donna, I'm tired, and I cannot take this bull****. Especially from someone I loved with all my heart, for all these years. I think the best decision is to get our divorce finalized." Eric didn't have time to notice Donna's reaction or to wait for a reply, he went to the nearest men's restroom and got sick. While Donna who remained emotionless picked up her cell phone to call her divorce lawyer.