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46

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Kathy looked at Ed from across the kitchen table. "What's wrong, pookie?" She asked, noticing that Ed wasn't very much looking like his normal, bubbly self that morning.

Ed stirred his spoon around in his bowl of oatmeal, disjointedly. "I think I did something terrible."

"Oh? What's that?" She asked, eating the oatmeal from off her spoon and plunging it into the bowl again for another refill.

"There's no need to make both of us feel down, kitten. It doesn't concern you, anyway."

"Okay," Kathy replied, simply. She knew that if Ed wanted her to know something, she'd know it. And obviously if it wasn't her concern then it really wasn't her concern. If he wanted to tell her, though, she'd be there for him.

Ed wondered how it had gone the other night over at the Brinkley residence. Had they talked? Had they not talked? He didn't know. And he supposed he wouldn't ever know unless one of them told him. He'd just have to wait until the next production day at the filming studio. Howard would probably fill him in on all of it... that is if Howard was still talking to him after this. He hoped this hadn't affected his and Howard's relationship. It wasn't his fault that Nadia was a perv. He hadn't wanted it. She was the bad guy. Not him. Case closed.

He still wanted to know how it went the other night, though. After sitting on the couch listening to Nadia cry, balled up in the corner on the floor for about half an hour, Ed had decided to slip out of the house through the back door. It seemed as though Nadia had needed some alone time, and Ed was damned if he was going to be the one to get in the way of it.

Perhaps Howard had never returned from his little walk? Suppose he was so stricken that he just kept walking and walking until he reached the bus station or something, hopped onto one of those big busses and left Hollywood, never to be seen again? It was a possibility. He couldn't rule it out. It stood its truthfulness.

It turned out that Ed's speculation about the couple had been half-right.

That morning as Howard awoke from his slumber, he stretched out and turned to Nadia's side only to find her missing. His heart began to race, then he remembered what had been divulged to him the previous day and his racing heart stopped racing and became heavy in his chest.

Nadia had insisted that she sleep on the couch until everything had been worked out amongst their relationship. Therefore, on the couch was where she would be. There was no need for panic of any sort.

Howard got out of bed, put on his slippers and bathrobe and began out of the bedroom. He walked along the hallway, which led to the living room. When he arrived, he approached the pull out couch and stood behind it. Then he looked down, expecting to see his wife whom he still cared for even though she had done something so terrible to him, but instead saw only an empty space.

He became worried again. But surely he was just kidding himself. She had to be in the kitchen, then. Preparing breakfast or something. He walked back down the hall and pushed open the kitchen door, hoping to see his lovely wife, yet when he entered the kitchen she was not there either.

"Nadia?" He called out into the empty house. His voice hit the walls and bounced off, creating an echo. The echo made him feel even more alone.

"Nadia?" He repeated, looking all around the kitchen. Where could she be?

Then his eye caught on a little piece of paper than had been put up with a magnet on the fridge. He walked toward the fridge, praying that the note would say that she had just went out for groceries or something and would be back later, but deep down inside he knew exactly what it would say.

He pulled the magnet from the fridge slowly, releasing the paper from its holding, then replaced it on the fridge. Howard held the paper at reading length and began deciphering the chickenscratch that lay before him.

Dear Howard,

I was so foolish. I love you.

But because I love you so much

I had to leave. I want you to

remember me as the girl you

married. Not anything else.

And my leaving will allow you

to do that.

With love always,

Nadia.

Howard held the paper a few minutes after he had finished reading it, taking in the smell of Nadia's perfume which it held. Hot tears came to his eyes and stung, then he placed the note in his right breast pocket for safe keeping, patted it to make sure it was secure and left the kitchen.