I am so depressed. Everything was perfect. Maybe I should have listened to the wise man in Shakespeare's play "Beware the Ides of March." What had they done for me? They'd brought me heartache like I couldn't imagine. I had created a magical thing for her and she had clearly enjoyed it and I had to ruin it all. I kissed her and she bolted. What had I done? Somehow I thought she'd wanted me to kiss her. But if she did why had she run away from me like that? All I know is that the two months since Lizzie's birthday have been the boring depressing days from before my Dad got married. We hadn't really spoken, except for the occasional courtesy required of us, since that kiss. If I'd known that it was the last night we'd ever really talk, I would have kept her there all night, not letting her go to her room, telling her everything in the world. I would have made her laugh more, think more. Just had our special Edwin-Lizzie connection, more. I'd left the special decorations up. In fact, aside from Casey's missing disco ball, everything in my room was pretty much exactly as it had been that night. As long as I could recreate that evening I could close my eyes and pretend the last two months had never happened. Everyone in the family noticed. Derek and Casey were arguing less, as if to make up for the fact that the two of us had fallen out. Everyone was trying to be civil and pretend everything was fine, but we all knew it wasn't. I couldn't take it anymore. I had to find out why she'd stopped speaking to me. The more I thought about it, the more I realized the perfect way to reconcile our differences, so long as she accepted, so I sat at my desk and began writing. Soon I was finished and left my missive by her door, knocked twice, and went back up to my room.

The sound of someone knocking at my door startled me out of my long cry. I had lost my best friend, and I didn't know why. I opened the door expecting someone, but no one was there. Then, just as I was about to shut it I saw Edwin's stereo and a note on top. "Lizzie, I don't know what happened between us, but please listen to track two." We'd analyzed the songs from Tapestry before, maybe he was trying to fix whatever had broken between us. I sat on my bed and pressed the advance button once, then play. I had been correct on the album choice. Track Two. So Far Away. Would this work? Could we make things right between us again? The slow sad ballad flooded the room.

So far away

Doesn't anybody stay in one place anymore?

It would be so fine to see your face at my door

It doesn't help to know

You're just time away

Long ago I reached for you

And there you stood

Holding you again could only do me good

How I wish I could but you're so far away

One more song about movin' along the highway

Can't say much of anything that's new

If I could only work this life out my way

I'd rather spend it being close to you

But you're so far away

Doesn't anybody stay in one place anymore?

It would be so fine to see your face at my door

It doesn't help to know

You're so far away

You're so far away

Travelin' round sure gets me down and lonely

Nothing else to do but close my mind

I sure don't hope the road don't come to own me

There's so many dreams I've yet to find

But you're so far away

Doesn't anybody stay in one place anymore?

It would be so fine to see your face at my door

It doesn't help to know

You're so far away

You're so far away

You're so far away

I listened to the words whose real meanings were obvious. I knew which part of the song he'd wanted me to pay the most attention to almost instinctively. Most of the first verse could be broken down by line.

It would be so fine to see your face at my door

He wanted to see me again. He didn't want things to keep falling farther apart with us.

Long ago I reached for you

And there you stood

I could almost hear him saying "Remember the last time we met? It was so happy. What happened between us?"

Holding you again could only do me good

How I wish I could

Oh how I only knew. I felt the exact same way.

But you're so far away

He felt as if he couldn't reach me. I was going to have to make the move this time. He'd asked the question, I'd have to reply. Immediately I knew what I had to do.