Chapter Fifteen
As Donna Pinciotti sat in her office that early Monday morning, a wave of emotions ran a constant gamut through her body. Her mind, however, kept coming back to one particular emotion repeatedly: fear.
Since the end of their marriage seven years ago, she had only seen her ex-husband twice in that time. The first had been in court a year after he had walked out; where the presiding judge had made their divorce official. The second time had been at her father's funeral, where her attempt to make peace and move forward had turned into an unmitigated disaster.
Which had made it all the more surprising when Eric had not only taken her call, but had agreed to do the interview. Now, as she continued to wait for her ex-husband to arrive, Donna fervently hoped and prayed that this too didn't blow up in her face and turn into one giant burn.
As a rule, when it came to interviews and other such important appointments, Eric made sure that he was never late. Having arrived in the Windy City just before dawn, Eric had taken a cab from the airport to the center of the city. As the sun started its slow rise through the buildings, Eric found a small bakery that had just opened its door for the day and got himself a bagel and a coffee to kick off the day ahead.
After spending the first couple of hours writing notes in one of the diaries that he carried around with him, Eric checked his watch and saw that he was an hour away from his interview with Donna. In truth, what was about to happen shortly was something that was long overdue. But, it had taken Eric a very long period of time to come to terms with everything and to reconcile the past in order to move forward.
A major part of that had been his father's accident and Hyde's downward mental spiral, which had caused to him rethink everything to the point that he had sought help. While that was something he would eventually reveal to Jackie when he felt the time was right, for now, he was more focused on laying the past to rest and getting on with the next chapter of his life.
When only thirty minutes remained, Eric made his way through the Chicago streets as the hustle and bustle of the city began to reach its peak. Finally reaching the building ten minutes later, Eric paused directly in front of it; the nervousness and twitchiness from when he was a teenager paralyzing him for a brief moment. Shaking his head clear, Eric took a deep breath, put one foot in front of the other and headed inside to confront the past once and for all.
Donna was sitting in the conference room with Tom Easton, one of the senior editors for the paper and her mentor since coming to Chicago seven years ago, going over some final prep for the interview when her assistant popped her head in and told them that Eric had arrived.
Taking a deep breath, Donna told her, "Send him in." As they stood up, Tom noticed almost instantly how nervous Donna actually was about the whole situation by the way that she kept constantly readjusting herself. It was very rare to see her that nervous at all. To the best of his knowledge, he had only ever seen her like this on two other occasions.
In this instance, though, it wasn't every day that you were about to sit down with your ex-husband, a man who Donna had only seen twice in the last seven years, and act as if those hadn't happened. In fact, Tom had always known that Donna had been married prior to coming to Chicago, but she'd arrived without him shortly after accepting the position.
A year later, she was not only one of the top reporters in Chicago, but she was also divorced as well. While the blow to her ego had done some damage, Donna had managed it well enough to keep pushing up through the ranks at the paper; well enough in fact that she had been nominated for and won several awards for her work in that time since.
The lowest point that Tom had ever seen Donna at, in fact ever, was just after her father's passing and funeral. It wasn't until a week after the funeral that, over one too many drinks after work, Tom finally got the full, unabridged story of the last seven years; from everything that had happened that night when her ex-husband had left her seven years ago to what had happened just after the funeral.
To say that he was stunned by the revelations was an understatement to say the very least. But, learning that her former spouse had become an internationally renowned bestselling author was the biggest shock of all. E.A. Forman's books, fiction and non fiction, sat on his bookshelf; all of them very well read many times over.
He wasn't surprised, however, to learn that her ex-husband still harbored some anger and resentment. While Tom knew and understood Donna's good points, having helped her develop and refine many of them over the years, there were still a few bad points that he'd been unable to completely break her of in the time that they had worked together.
While tenacity and stubbornness often paid off dividends, Tom could also see how it would've affected someone's personal life at the same time; especially in Donna's case. Not having the right partner could and can be also detrimental as well. From an outsider's perspective, Tom could see a number of reasons why Eric and Donna's relationship and marriage didn't work out in the end. He just hoped that today didn't blow up in her face, either.
Eric entered the room, bag on his shoulder. "Hey, Donna; it's good to see you," he said with a warm smile on his face. Donna was surprised, but managed to not let it show. She'd half expected him to come in with a massive chip on his shoulder, but, instead, Eric had entered the room as if he genuinely wanted to be there.
Returning the smile, Donna replied, "Hello, Eric, thanks for coming in. It's been a while."
"It certainly has," Eric nodded.
There was an awkward pause before Donna realized that introductions needed to be made. "Eric, this is Tom Easton, Senior Editor for the paper and my boss and mentor. Tom, this is Eric, or as you may know him, E.A. Forman, in the flesh."
The two men shook hands. "It's nice to finally meet you," Tom said. "I will mention in advance that I am a huge fan of your books and say that I can't wait for your next one."
"It's good's to meet you as well, Tom. I always enjoy meeting fans of my work and so long as people keep reading, I'll keep writing." Turning to Donna, Eric asked, "So, how did you want to play this?"
The question saw Donna switch from her personal self to her professional self. "So, we've blocked out about an hour and a half to two hours for the interview and half an hour to an hour for photos, depending on how things go. I'll be conducting the bulk of the interview, with Tom here adding a question here and there as needed. How does that sound?"
Eric grinned. "Sounds good to me." Taking off his bag, he pulled out the chair at the end of the conference table and sat down. "Let's get started."
As interviews went, it was definitely one of the better ones that Eric had experienced. Things had gotten slightly chaotic when word had quickly spread that he was in the building. Other staff had turned up wanting to meet him and hopefully get either an autograph, a photo or both. Some had just wanted the opportunity to meet him and to be able to say that they had.
To their credit, Tom and Donna managed to keep the situation as calm as possible and defused any possible incidents. The interview itself focused mainly on his writing career, his career before becoming famous, the books he'd written and his plans for future stories. Under the circumstances, Eric was glad that they didn't touch on the personal side of his life. He had a lot of things that he wanted to talk to Donna about and an interview would've been the last and worst place to do that.
The actual interview had gone for the full two hours. As mentioned to him at the start, Donna had fielded most of the questions with Tom adding one or two questions for clarification. The photo session ran for nearly as long, with a number of senior management figures capitalizing on their status to get what everyone else couldn't.
After the final shot had been taken and the last book had been signed and autographed, the trio finally found a moment to park their backsides and rest their feet. "Wow," Eric said, "I've done some unusual interviews in my time, but nothing quite like that."
Donna couldn't agree more. The number of senior management that had shown up for the photo shoot alone had started to set her nerves on edge, but with Tom there to back her up as support, she managed the situation quite well. A number of said people had quietly let Tom know that Donna had impressed them to the point that, if she continued to turn out results as impressive as what they had seen today, support would be provided when the time came for her to move onto bigger and better things.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Tom told them, ""I must admit that today, while unusual, was still a successful one. If nothing else, Donna, you really solidified your credentials today. The number of senior execs who I spoke to all mentioned how well everything went. I'd say that, with one or two more successes like this under your belt, we might be able to start looking at moving you up the ladder."
Donna preened at the praise, the words boosting her confidence and erasing any doubts that she'd been having. "And don't hesitate to give me a call either, Donna, if you need any help," Eric added. Once again, Donna was surprised by the offer and this time it showed. "I've developed quite a few contacts over the last few years, as well as made a number of friends," he continued, "so any assistance I can give, I'd be more than happy to."
To say that she was stunned by the offer was an understatement. Shocked was a more apt description. Even Tom was surprised by the offer. Finally, Donna replied, "Thank you, Eric. I really appreciate that."
Looking at his watch, Tom saw the time and decided to give the former couple and friends some time to catch up. "Well, I'm going to call time for the rest of the day," he said as he stood up. "Same goes for you too, Donna." Turning to Eric, he told him, "Eric, it was a pleasure both meeting and interviewing you. I look forward to your next book when it comes out."
Standing up, Eric shook Donna's mentor's hand. "Tom, it was great meeting you as well. I'll let my editor know to make sure that you get an advance copy of my next book so that you can review it." Tom nodded before waving to Donna and left, leaving the former couple alone together for the first time in seven years.
There was an awkward silence for a brief moment before Donna gathered her courage. "Hey, I've just realized that I haven't eaten since this morning. Did you want to get something to eat?"
Where they went was Donna's home. Finally having accepted that she and Eric weren't reconciling following their breakup in '83, she had bought the place in '85; a year after the divorce had come through. Needing a place to call her own after waking up in some random stranger's bed one morning with no clue as to how she had got there, Donna had decided enough was enough and had begun house-hunting later that same day.
It had taken her two weeks, but she had finally found her dream home in a small suburb just outside of Chicago, only about a ten minute drive from work and located near some very promising schools should she ever have children at some point in her life. While the last part was a constant source of disappointment to her father, who had hoped to be a grandfather by that point of his life, Bob Pinciotti had supported his daughter by supplying the necessary funds for Donna to purchase her home outright and not have to worry about a mortgage hanging over her head for the rest of her life.
When she had signed the last of the documents completing the sale, she had promised to pay her father back with interest. Bob had simply smiled, shook his head and told his daughter, 'Don't worry about paying me back, pumpkin. Let's just call it an investment in the future.'
That future had taken a step forward eighteen months later when Donna had run into former boyfriend Randy Pearson when her car had broken down outside a building site. Not having seen Randy since he had left Point Place not long after 1980 had started, she was stunned by the transformation. While he still possessed the long, blonde hair and rock star looks, six years of construction work had added some very defined and chiseled muscle to his body as well as a healthy tan that came from working twelve hour days in the sun.
While waiting for Triple A, Randy and Donna had caught up on what they had been doing since they'd last seen each other back in Point Place. After the mechanic had arrived and fixed Donna's car, the former couple had parted ways with after giving the other their phone number and promising to call. It was a week later that Randy had called her. Caught off-guard by the call, Donna had found herself meeting Randy at a small cafe not far from her home. What had been intended to be a a quick coffee and a catch-up had ended up turning into a dinner date.
This continued to happen several more times over the next three months. Despite her hesitation, Donna continued to see Randy; the scars caused by the break-up of her marriage slowly healing as Randy reminded her that there was more to life than just work. Their first official outing as a couple came when Donna invited Randy to attend a black tie event where she and several others were being honored for their work in their respective fields.
When she had eventually told her father that she and Randy had started dating again and that they were moving in together, Bob had asked his daughter, "Does he make you happy?" When she had smiled and nodded, Bob had then told Donna, "Then I'm happy."
The peace that Donna had felt at that moment, sadly, was only a brief and passing feeling. In the spring of 1987, Bob Pinciotti would pass away as a result of a heart attack at the age of fifty-seven. His premature passing had devastated his only daughter and stunned all those who knew him. Despite being physically on the plus size, Bob had always looked after himself and had always kept him busy; being of a vigorous nature when it came to both work and pleasure. His death had caused Donna to heavily rethink her attitude to life in general and had started by making amends with family and friends that she had alienated when she had left Wisconsin.
The funeral had later provided her with further opportunities to continue. The biggest surprise had been when the entire gang from the basement had shown up, including Eric, to say farewell to her father. Red and Kitty had told her that Eric had promised to make it to the funeral if possible, warning her at the same time that it all depended on how fully booked his schedule was, but she was still glad that he was able to come.
Her hope of making amends with him, however, were dashed when, following the end of the funeral, she made her way over to Eric and asked if he was planning to attend the wake. She had then mentioned that, if there was a moment for them to talk in private later, she would greatly appreciate it.
The outburst that had erupted from Eric's mouth had completely caught Donna off-guard and left her stunned. The next ten minutes would see the former couple exchange very harsh and brutal words with one another before Eric had thrown his hands up in the air and stormed off away from her and everyone else.
Almost immediately realizing what had happened, Donna had gone back to the rest of the gang in tears. While Kelso and Hyde had gone off to find Eric, Randy, with help from Jackie, Brooke and Rhonda had taken Donna to the wake where she had been consoled by Red and Kitty. While Red had said nothing, his unspoken answer was to put a drink in her hand. Kitty had put her arms around her surrogate daughter while the girls had helped out by redirecting traffic away from the grieving daughter.
Ironically, once everything was over and they had returned home, it was Randy who had put things into perspective for Donna. When her anger over the whole situation had finally started to come through, he had halted it by asking her two questions. "Do you think that you're the only one whose is entitled to be angry and upset? Doesn't Eric have that same right as well?"
When Donna had tried to explain that that wasn't how things worked when it came to them, Randy had shaken his head, smiled and told her, "That was then, Donna, when you guys were teenagers. Life happens and you're now adults. Nothing ever stays the same. You can only hope that, one day, he might be ready to move on and make peace." While Randy wasn't the most profound of people, Donna had been surprised by the simple insight provided to her by her partner. It was at that moment that she had realized that he wasn't the same person she'd met back in 1979, either.
With the new perspective provided to her, Donna had instead taken the failure in her stride and had moved forward with her life, both personally and professionally. Having noticed that they always seemed to be doing everything she wanted when it came to events and holidays, Donna had taken care to pay more attention to some of Randy's interests and hobbies. For their last anniversary, she had surprised Randy with tickets and backstage passes to see one of his favorite bands, courtesy of help from W.B. While the music wasn't to her taste, the fact that Randy had enjoyed himself and had even got to meet the band after the concert had made it just as enjoyable for her as well.
Now, as they turned into the street where Donna lived, she only hoped that she could reconcile with Eric and move foward with her life, completely free of the past.
As they pulled into the driveway of Donna's house, Eric's thoughts had been moving along the same line as hers. In addition to that, Eric had also been trying to work out how to tell her about what had been happening with Hyde and that he and Jackie were now a couple. "Oh!" Donna's surprised tone jolted Eric back to the present.
"What is it?" he asked.
"It took Donna a moment to find her voice. "Randy's home," she answered, pointing to the four-door ute sitting in the garage.
"I take it that he isn't normally home this early during the day?"
"No, he's not." Pulling in just behind, Donna shut off the engine and got out, Eric following close behind her. They went inside the house to find Randy in the kitchen making himself some food and getting something to drink. While Eric had seen some photos of Randy, courtesy of Jackie,he now realized that the camera had not done him any justice. Where as Eric was possessed of a more slender and slim build, Randy was possessed of the dominant build: broad-shouldered, muscled from head to toe and facial features that looked as as if they had been sculpted by one of the great artists of the Renaissance.
Randy had just closed the fridge and was about to sit down to eat when he saw Donna enter the house with someone that looked vaguely familiar. It was about five seconds later that it suddenly clicked as he recognized Eric Forman walk in behind his girlfriend who also happened to be who Eric used to be married to. That's when he realized that he completely forgotten that the interview had been today. Donna had spoken about it over the last few weeks, her mind having been unsure as to whether or not she had done the right thing in calling her ex-husband.
Knowing that work had been stressful of late with the new owner taking over and cuts being made to every department, Randy had done what he'd always done; listened and provided advice when Donna had needed. However, in this instance, after listening to her, the only advice Randy had been able to provide was the decision had been hers and hers alone to make. Eric had responded, better than even Randy had thought he would. Now, all she could do was meet with him and go forward from there. The only thing that they could both hope for was that it didn't blow upi her face. Now, as he watched Eric walk in behind Donna into their home with his bag on his shoulder, he wasn't sure whether to assume the best or the worst.
"Hey, sweetheart," he said, coming out of the kitchen to meet her. "I wasn't expecting you home till later today."
Stepping into his arms, Donna embraced her longtime partner and kissed him. "I could say the same of you. Everything okay at the site?" Randy had been working for his current employer since just before they had gotten together. It was the longest that he'd been employed by anyone since moving to Chicago from Point Place. In fact, he'd been doing so well of late with his current employer that he'd recently been promoted to shift foreman at the building site where he was currently working. A recent chat with the owner of the construction company had led to Randy being informed that, if things went well the current job that the company was working on, Randy was guaranteed a permanent future with the company in his current position with the chance of future promotion.
"All good," he smiled. "Some news to share, but it can wait. How was your day?"
Donna smiled back. "Really well. So well, in fact, that I think my job might be secure for the foreseeable future."
"That's great!" Randy exclaimed. "And I see we have a guest as well."
Donna nodded. "Randy, I'd like you to meet Eric Forman, or as you may know him, E.A. Forman. Eric, this is Randy Pearson, my boyfriend."
For a moment, the world seemed to stop as the two men finally came face to face with one another. While Donna had always want to introduce them to one another in order to make peace with the past and move forward into the future, the tension in the room was beginning to make her think that maybe it hadn't been a good idea at all.
To Randy, Eric represented the past; the standard by which he would always be measured against and secretly feared that he would never come close to even meeting. For Eric, Randy represented the future that Donna had chosen over him; leaving him to often wonder about what could have been and one of the many reasons that he'd agreed to meet with Donna and do the interview in the first place.
Stepping forward, Eric put his hand out. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Randy. Heard a lot of great things about you from the rest of the gang, especially my dad."
Reaching out, Randy gripped Eric's hand and shook it firmly. "Likewise, Eric," Randy nodded. Donna breathed a sigh of relief. The first part of the hard part was done. Now it was time to move onto the next.
"Back shortly, guys. Play nice now." Donna grinned as she quickly made her upstairs and disappeared into her bedroom. Once she was gone, Randy turned his attention back to Eric.
"So, Eric, can I get you a drink? Water? Alcohol?"
Thrown off by the question, Eric quickly recovered. "Uh, Scotch, if you have it, otherwise whatever you have on tap." Randy grinned as he went to the bar and grabbed two glasses and a bottle of single malt Scotch whisky. Placing them on the kitchen counter, he grabbed some ice from the freezer, dropped them in the glasses, opened the bottle and poured the dark amber liquid into the glasses.
Joining Randy at the kitchen counter, Eric took his bag off and placed it to one side before taking the glass offered to him. The two men raised their glasses in a silent toast before swallowing a mouthful of the heady ambrosia. "Glen Fiddich?" Eric asked.
Randy nodded. "Twelve year."
Smiling, Eric drank some more before placing the glass back on the counter. "Interesting. From what Kelso and Jackie told me about you, I figured you were more the beer, ale and and lager type."
It wasn't often that Randy became embarrassed, but this was one of those times. "I still am, actually, but when Donna and I got back together, I was surprised to find out that you'd become an author. Found out about it from Bob, of all people. Despite the divorce, he was proud of the fact that you'd moved on with your life and that you'd become an accomplished writer. What surprised me even more was that he'd gone out and bought your books and had read them from cover to cover. Never would have figured him to be much of a reader."
Neither would have Eric, but then Bob had always been full of surprises. "Anyway, after Donna and I had had a massive row one night," Randy continued, "Bob was took me out for a drink as so that the both of us could clear our heads. This was just before he passed away. We got to talking about things and the conversation somehow landed on you. I'd gotten quite drunk and said a few words about you that I won't repeat, but, needless to say, Bob scolded me over my remarks. After I started sobering up, which took a fair amount of coffee, he suggested that I get a hold of your books and start reading them to gain some perspective."
"So, the next day, I went out and bought the books that you'd written up to that point, sat down and started to read." Randy smiled sadly as he remembered a happier time. "After reading your books and having another talk with Bob, I started collecting the rest of your books whenever a new one came out. Haven't missed one yet."
"What was the last one you and Bob read before he passed away?" Eric asked.
"We'd just finished reading 'The Last Stop To Knowhere'. Bob didn't know why, but he felt a very personal connection with that particular story after he'd read it." Eric immediately understood why. He had based the main character in part on his father, the only difference being that while Red had come home to the love of a good woman, a job and a place to call home, the main character in that book hadn't either of the first two things, only the third one and not much of one at that, either.
Grabbing the bottle of Glen Fiddich, Eric poured himself and Randy another drink of whisky, raised up his glass and said, "To Bob. A man of unknown depth and perception, gone before his time."
Randy smiled as he raised his glass as well. "To Bob." Draining their glasses in a mouthful, Randy placed his back on the counter and eyed Eric with a serious look on his face. Finally he asked the question that Eric knew was eventually going to be asked. "Eric, are you here to get Donna back?"
Slowly placing his glass on the counter, Eric smiled as he shook his head. "No. No, Randy, Donna and I had our chance and, for better or for worse, we blew it. Looking back, my best guess is that we fell in love with the fantasy and struggled to deal with the reality. All I'm looking to do now is to make peace with the past and move forward into the future with a clear conscience if I can. Donna and I were friends once, long before we ever became a couple and husband and wife. I'd like to renew that friendship, if possible. Start anew and, hopefully, have your friendship as well."
This time, it was Randy who grabbed the bottle and poured another round of the Scotch into their glasses. Both men raising their glasses, Randy said with a grin, "To days long ago, may the memories remind us of the mistakes not to make and the fun times that were had."
Eric answered with the same grin on his face, "To the road ahead, uncertain it may be but may it be just as exciting."
When Donna came back downstairs ten minutes, she was pleasantly surprised by what she found. While she had always expected them to get along somewhat, what she hadn't expected to find was Randy and Eric sitting at the dining room making a decent dent in the bottle of Scotch whisky that was normally only reserved for special occasions.
Having changed into a pair of comfortable jeans and a light jumper, Donna watched as Eric finished telling something to Randy, which set him off laughing. Joining them at the table, Donna sat down next to Randy and said, "It sounds like you two are getting along."
"Eric and I have been trading a few stories from our time in Point Place," Randy told her. "I've been catching him up on what he missed when he was in Africa, filling in some of the gaps that Jackie and Kelso might've missed. He's been telling me a few stories from when you and the rest of the guys were younger."
"Oh god, no, Eric! Really?" Donna moaned good-naturedly
"It's all good, Donna," Eric replied with a huge grin on his face. "I'm not leaving anyone out, including me." As he then launched into the story of the infamous dine and dash dinner that had the others had left Eric and Donna to deal with and the revenge that had come after, talking about food made Donna realize that she still hadn't eaten since that morning.
Once Eric finished the story, leaving Randy laughing with tears streaming down his face and Donna chuckling at the antics of the past, she said, "Speaking of food, I've just realized that none of us haven eaten yet. Any thoughts on what to get?"
As Randy thought about it, Eric offered, "Why don't you guys get what ever it is you normally get, order extra, and I'll pay for it. My treat."
Donna and Randy looked at one another. "Sounds good," Randy nodded.
"I'll go place the order," Donna said. Getting up, she went over to the phone, dialed the number of a local takeaway restaurant and spent a few minutes chatting with the person on the other end. After another couple of minutes, she placed the handset back in cradle and rejoin the guys back at the table. "That's done," she told them as she sat. "Hey, speaking of our friends, I've been meaning ask about how everyone else is going these days. Haven't heard much from Hyde in a while and when I speak to Jackie and Kelso, which isn't as often as I'd like, we end up speaking about other stuff instead of catching up like we used to."
Taking a deep breath, Eric swallowed a mouthful of Scotch. Placing the glass down, Eric looked Randy and Donna and smiled sadly. "Actually, I need to fill you both in about a few things that've been happening over the last couple of years and what I've got to tell you guys isn't going to be pretty either."
Donna and Randy looked at one another before turning back to Eric as he began to tell them everything that had been happening back in Wisconsin since the last time that they had all seen each other.
It was an hour later when Eric finished telling Donna and Randy everything that had been going on. The mood was very somber as the couple realized that the people that they knew and remembered were not the same people anymore.
Randy and Donna looked at one another as they tried to process all the information. Finally, Donna leaned forward and looked at Eric. "So, let me see if I have this straight. Some time before my father's funeral, Hyde had begun stalking Jackie in an attempt to win her back; going as far to the point where he broke into her home one night and left a shrine dedicated to her setup in her bedroom." Eric nodded as he watched Donna continue to try and reconcile what she'd just been told with the man she had once known and grown up with. The look on Randy's face, however, told Eric that he had always suspected something was otherwise not quite right with their friend.
"Then, about two years ago," Donna continued, " when he was arrested after violating the restraining order that Jackie had just gotten against him when he'd shown up to her place of work, attempting to propose to her as part of some deluded fantasy that he was still going to win her back, W.B. had Hyde committed to a mental health facility; where he's been ever since."
Once again, Eric nodded. "That pretty much sums it up. If it makes you feel any better, I didn't find out until a year ago when Red had his accident and I started asking some questions that my mother seemed very determined to avoid. Between those two things happening, that's when I had my moment of clarity and realized that life was too short to be nursing grudges and holding on to the past. That's one of the reasons that I agreed to do the interview, Donna. To put the past to rest, make things right as best I could and to move forward, hopefully with you and Randy as friends."
Hearing Eric say those words filled Donna's heart with a joy while hearing them said to the both of them completely lifted the dread still sitting in Randy's heart about Eric's intentions. "And how's Red doing now? Is he okay?" Randy asked.
"He's actually doing really well now," Eric answered. "Once Red had had the necessary surgery and was turned over to the therapists to help him get moving, I stepped in to make sure that he got to all his appointments. Bought Mom a small van to transport her and Red around in when they had to go places. Also had some work done to the house to make it easier for Red and Mom to deal with the everyday side of life as well."
"And what about Jackie? How's she doing since all this has happened?" Donna wanted to know. She was still struggling to comprehend how all of it could have happened and not one person had said a word to her about it.
Eric was about to answer that particular question in the best way that he could when the doorbell rang. "That must be the food," he said. Reaching into his bag, he grabbed out his wallet and removed several of the same denomination from within. Getting up, Eric returned a few minutes later with five bags of takeout collected from the delivery driver, who had departed after securing a very generous tip from Eric for services rendered.
Placing the bags on the table, questions were temporarily halted as the trio took all the food out and spread it all over. It was about another ten minutes before Donna finally had quelled the urging in her stomach to return to the question that she had asked and Eric had been about to answer just as the food had arrived.
"So, getting back to what we were talking about before we were interrupted," Donna said as she relaxed in her chair. "How is Jackie?"
Eric grinned as he stabbed his fork at a piece of food. "Actually, Jackie's doing really well," he said, shoving the food into his mouth. After chewing and swallowing it, he grinned again. "In fact, we've just started going out as a couple, so to speak. Neither of us are too eager to rush into anything, so we're going to take it slow and see how things go."
The looks on Donna and Randy's faces said it all. It took the couple several moments to process Eric's announcement and Randy was the first to recover. "Well, that's wonderful news!" Randy told Eric. "I wish you both nothing but the best for the future."
Donna's response was completely different. "How? When? And, more importantly, why hasn't Jackie said anything about this?"
Eric sighed happily as he thought about it all. "To answer both questions," he answered as he leaned back in his chair. "It started about six months ago, when I ran into Jackie at a convention in Wisconsin that she was running. We went out to dinner and caught up and exchanged phone numbers at the end of the weekend. Ever since then, we've been talking on a weekly basis; sort of like a long distance courtship, you could say."
"As for the reason that Jackie hasn't said anything to you, it's most likely because we didn't realize that we had feelings for each other or that we were headed to that point until we shared a New Year's kiss at the annual Foreman New Year's Eve party. In fact, I came to Chicago after spending the week with Jackie in Kenosha. When I return from my trip in six weeks time, I'll be making Wisconsin my home again and Jackie and I plan to explore whatever it is that we have at the moment once I return."
While Randy raised his glass in congratulations, a swirl of thoughts raced through Donna's mind. While she had long accepted that she and Eric were never destined to happen, it still hurt to know that Eric was finally moving on after all this time. What made the hurt sting even more was that it was with someone that she considered a close, personal friend.
But as she thought about it, Donna came to the realization that whatever this was that Jackie and Eric had found together, she wouldn't be the one to destroy it. She had come to the realization long ago that she and Eric should never have married, but there had been times where she had wondered about the perennial what if.
She also saw in her mind's eye what it was that had attracted the pair to one another. They had always wanted the same thing: someone to come home to and share the rest of their life with. Silently acknowledging that the past was better off left in the past, Donna picked up her beer, raised it and smiled. "To Jackie and Eric. May the two of you find everlasting happiness together from here until the end of your days."
It was early evening when Eric saw the time and realized that he had to go or he would miss his flight. After calling for a cab, Randy and Eric said their goodbyes to another; the two agreeing to catch up the next time Eric was in Chicago or Randy was in Wisconsin. Eric also promised to send Randy an advance copy of his next book so that he didn't have to worry about trying to get a copy form the local bookstore. He also agreed to send one as well for Bob's collection, which Randy had kept up as a way to honor the man.
Donna walked with Eric to the end of the driveway to wait for the cab to arrive. Knowing that she didn't have long before he was gone again, Donna turned to her ex-husband. "Eric,before you go, there's something that I've been wanting to say to you for some time and if I dont say it now, I'll never say it."
Eric nodded. "Alright."
Taking a deep breath, Donna continued. "Eric, you and I have known each other for a very long time. So long, in fact, that we should never have reached this point at all. But, in looking back, I came to the realization that there is something that I've never said to you in all the years that we've known each other. I'm sorry."
Surprise and shock hit Eric at the same time. Those words were something that he had never, ever expected Donna to say, especially to him. "I'm sorry for so many things, Eric, more than you'll ever know. When you came back from Africa and we got married, it felt like everything was right with the world once more. But then, reality struck when you left me that night. And, for the frist time in my life, I didn't know how to handle the situation and it scared me."
"It wasn't until I started going out with Randy again and Dad passing away that I realized what it was that I had been doing for all those years, how my attitude and my desire to be right had affected those all around me personally; especially you. While I know that it can't change the past, all I can do, Eric, is say that I'm sorry and hope that we can still be friends."
Taking a moment to gather his thoughts, Eric took a deep breath. "Donna, you never lost my friendship," he finally said. "Looking back now, I do know one thing: that we should never have gotten married. When I think about it all now, the honest truth – in my view – is that we fell in love with the fantasy of it all and struggled to deal with the harsh reality and truth of it all."
"What it was that made me so angry that night, Donna, was that I was always expected to follow everyone else's lead; to always do what everyone else wanted and not even consider my own feelings in the grand scheme of things. I won't apologize for the divorce. That would have come sooner or later if we had kept on going the way we were and the fallout would and could've been much, much worse."
"But, what I will apologize for is the way I treated you after everything that happened between us. My responses to your attempts to contact me were, to say the least, not what they should have been; especially how I acted at your dad's funeral. I'm sorry, Donna, and I would still like to be friends as well."
The former couple, now having each said their piece, stared at one another; unsure of what to say next. Finally, the silence grew to the point where Donna asked, "So, what now?"
Eric let out the breath that he'd been holding in as he quickly thought it all over in his mind. "At the moment, we've taken that first step towards repairing things between us. But, it will take some time, Donna." Eric thought again and suddenly an idea crystalized in his head. "Tell you what. When I get back from my trip and I've had some time to settle down and adjust to living in Wisconsin again, I'll give you guys a call and we'll organize for you guys to come out and visit Jackie and I wherever we wind up settling down. Just the four of us, no one else. One step at a time."
Turning the idea over in her head, Donna recognize it for the peace offering that it was. "I'd like that very much," she answered with a grin. It was at that moment that the cab arrived and pulled to a stop next to where Eric stood. Opening the door, Eric grinned as he got in sat and down on the back seat.
As the cab pulled away from the curb, Eric called, "See you around, Donna."
A/N: Apologies for taking so long with this chapter, it took three rewrites to get it to to where I wanted it and the final draft ended up being ten pages long. Look forward to the comments. Enjoy!