Author Note: Wow! I am in awe by everyone's opinions on who is wrong/right in this marriage! There are a lot of significant points of view and it does humble me that my writing makes you feel strongly about the lives of these characters. Thank you!
Chapter 04 – Donna Did Him a Dirty
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"Eric….why is this in the drawer?"
His eyes were filled with unshed tears, "Because I never signed them. I wasn't going to give her a divorce."
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Before Jackie could begin to unpack any of her luggage, Eric asked her to wait. He went into the bedroom and retrieved the old shirt she slept in during her last visit. "Just wear this…you can unpack when you get to a hotel."
She frowned, "Hotel? I didn't book one. Donna said I could stay the weekend!"
Eric looked at all the bags on the floor, "You have to be kidding me. You need this many clothes for a weekend?"
She looked at him like he was just a bit dim. "Well if I'm working…then yes." Suddenly she had an "aha" moment. "And you are working with me!"
Eric choked. "What"?!" he squeaked. This was going to be a weekend he just shut in and slept away his pain. No freaking way did he want to spend it with movie star Jackie Burkhart – that was torture!
She walked over to the kitchen table and sat across from her saddened friend. "It will be fun and not hurt one bit."
Eric tried to glare but he couldn't pull of the look with tears in his eyes. "Is this why you came out for Donna?"
The corners of her lips lifted as Jackie smiled. "Well, yes. I was going to introduce her to some studio producers. They are holding a closed audition in one of WCTT's empty studios. Lucas and Spielberg want to cast some locals for a war movie they are going to produce. I'm reading lines since I'm going to be the femme fatale."
Eric looked unconvinced. "Another feminist? No thanks."
Jackie laughed and pushed against his shoulder, "No you goof. A femme fatale is a dangerous, seductive woman. AND I get to be a spy and this time they'll let me shoot the damn gun!"
Eric was intrigued. Not because Jackie was this fatale woman but Lucas and Spielberg were synonymous with great movie making. "Why was Donna necessary?"
Jackie tapped her chin before answering, "I was going to introduce her to the cable station big wigs but since she's not here….I can introduce you to some people that will get you out of your misery and make you forget this rotten weekend."
Eric looked at the blank screen of the television before responding. "You know what? I think that I can wallow in my lonely misery next weekend."
Jackie smiled and clutched the flannel shirt to her chest. "I call dibs on the bed and I'll see you in the morning!"
Before Eric could argue the sleeping arrangements, he realized he had been duped a second time by the pretty brunette. Ah hell, at least he wasn't going to be alone all weekend. That had to count didn't it?
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Eric
Eric was in the break room pouring the sludge the city called "coffee" into his Styrofoam cup when he heard his name. Curious, he turned around to see fellow employee, Reggie, holding up a newspaper and wiggling his eyebrows. "Hey Forman, why didn't you tell us you were hobnobbing with the celebrities?"
Eric carried his cup over to the picnic style table and sat down, "What are you talking about?"
Reggie laid out the Point Place Register and in the "Entertainment" section of the paper was a picture of Eric with his arm around Jackie's waist and the other arm slung over George Lucas' shoulder. The byline read: Point Place has her own *stars*.
Reggie leaned over the table, "How in the world did you get a photo with her? I mean freaking Jackie Burkhart…who is practically unattainable and Mr. Star Wars himself….you all look like you were having a good time. Why didn't you call a friend?"
Eric was pretty positive that Reggie Davis was NOT a friend he would have called ever! Eric tried to play it off, "You know, Jackie and I go way back and well, George was there…pictures were taken….it was just another day on the set." Could he be more non-chalant?
Reggie couldn't let it be. "Go way back? How far back and why can't you set me up with her?" Another pair of legs straddled the picnic bench. Andrew from Maintenance winked, "So….did you kiss her?"
Eric's brows knitted in a frown. Kiss Jackie Burkhart? Hell no! She was a friend, "Andrew, this was not a date."
Andrew snagged the paper from Reggie, "Looks like a date to me. I mean seriously, how many Point Place dudes get to meet George Lucas and…." His eyes scanned the article, "….Robert Zemeckis, that guy that made Who Framed Roger Rabbit…that was a seriously funny movie."
Kathleen Warner stepped over to the table and when she saw Eric's photograph her eyes widened. "Eric, gosh…you must have had a great weekend!"
Eric thought back to the fun he had watching Jackie read lines with wannabe actors and listening to the banter that went back and forth between the producers. The catering service brought an excellent lunch and for that entire afternoon, Eric did not once think of Donna or the divorce papers.
Yeah, it was a great weekend.
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Kelso frowned, "Man the least you could have done was invite me!" he pouted. A glowering fat man made a terrible picture. Eric took the newspaper from his sausage shaped fingers, "Kelso, if Jackie asked me to ask you…I would have."
Hyde turned his "Open for Business" sign over to "CLOSED" as he joined his friends in the listening pit. "Still, you made a pretty picture." Hyde commented, "What did your mommy think?"
Eric glared, "I don't know and I don't care. This weekend was all about forgetting my marriage problems."
Kelso huffed, "Yeah, so you go and hit on my ex-girlfriend. And…and…Hyde's ex-girlfriend!" Michael Kelso's petulant attitude was going to get him thunked in the arm. Eric popped open a cold beer from the ice chest on the floor. "She's nobody's ex anything. Think about it guys…that was ten years ago. She moved on. WE all moved on."
Still, Hyde looked at the photo of the ex-cheerleader. She looked happy and that was all he could want for her. Of course he would never tell the guys that once in a while, he would go to Kenosha and watch one of her movies. That was something a girl would do and Hyde was no chick.
Eric added, "Then she took me to Fez's apartment where her fan headquarters is located and man…Fez is popular with the ladies! I never realized how many commercials or TV shows Jackie had been in. I was impressed with the limo the first time but damn, she's doing pretty well for leaving this town." Maybe that was what Donna wanted all along.
Well, that was a sobering thought! He turned his attention to the cold beer in his hand and the realization that he didn't want to go home to an empty house. Then of course he mind started thinking about the budget and how was he going to pay the bills without Donna's paycheck and that just created a ball of worry in his gut. The beer would only make it worse. He stood up. "Guys, there's something I need to do….I'll see you this weekend."
Kelso put up a finger, "Don't forget it that we have free tickets for the Christmas Elf Skate-a-thon. Or Skanathon as I want to call it."
Hyde laughed, "Just imagine seeing all those elves falling on their green and red striped asses. Totally worth it.
Eric smiled and nodded his head. "Later!"
The door closed behind him and Kelso looked at Hyde, "He's cooked."
Hyde nodded. "Donna did him a dirty."
It was agreed that they needed to watch over Eric. Even if he didn't know he needed it.
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Three days and 18 hours later, Eric was searching the "desk" where all the bills were kept. Somewhere in this mess was the telephone bill. It wasn't that he was lonely per se, but more it was like he was going crazy with no one to talk to about how little he missed Donna's presence. Sandwiched between sewer and the trash bill was the telephone bill. He tore the envelope open and began scouring the list of numbers for anything that would be considered long distance.
He found it and thrust a fist in the air shouting to no one, "Yes!"
Taking the phone bill in one hand and carrying the telephone with the other, he moved to the Barcalounger, but the cord to the wall didn't stretch that far. So Eric did what any sensible person would do, he moved the lounge chair into the kitchen. Glancing at the wall clock he realized that it was only 4:00 p.m. in California and Jackie might not even be home.
Then again, he might not even have her number. It could have been Grandma Pinciotti for all Eric knew. He dialed the number and it ran five times. Eric's heart was pounding. On the sixth ring it picked up. A raspy yet sultry voice answered, "Hello…this is Mel….if you know which honey you're calling for….leave your name and number and….one of us will get back to you."
Eric hung up the phone. Mel? Who was Mel? Mel Torme? Mel Blanc? Mel Brooks? That was a dude's voice. Eric tried the next 213 area code number and dialed. A young perky voice answered, "Thank you for calling NBC Studios reception. If you will leave your name and a brief message, someone will get back to you….and have a wonderful day!"
Eric sat back and mumbled to himself, "Why am I so desperate to talk to Jackie? I mean I've seen her twice this year and it's not like she's gonna bring back my wife…or maybe it's that I don't miss Donna as much as I should and is this normal?" He rationalized that he was going crazy.
On impulse, Eric dialed the first number back. ""Hello…this is Mel….if you know which honey you're calling for….leave your name and number and….one of us will get back to you." Eric waited for the beep and replied, "Hello, my name is Eric Forman and I'm looking for Jackie Burkhart. If she's at this number can you please have her call me? It's important." He set the receiver back in the cradle and blew out the breath he had been holding. Now it was just wait and see if he got a return call.
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Eric flipped through the channels, mindlessly spending more time watching Ron Popeil selling Ginsu Knives than he should – he just needed the phone to ring. A JC Penny commercial came on advertising winter wear and boots and he almost fell out of his chair. Jackie Burkhart was one of the models throwing kisses and smiles at the camera while she stomped through obviously fake snow in the advertised footwear. Eric marveled that she had a face that the television loved and why didn't he notice before?
He recalled seeing her face in a shampoo commercial and didn't even pay attention. What was his mind thinking of? Well, certainly not shampoo! He continued to wait and eventually as the clock ticked towards the 10:00 o'clock hour, Eric knew he had to go to bed. No sense missing a day of work – he had a mortgage that needed to be paid.
Fluffing his pillow he caught a scent that reminded him of the weekend. Donna's pillow smelled exactly like Jackie's shampoo. He didn't want to seem weird, but hey….no one was watching. He put the pillow to his face and drew in the scent. There was no reminder of Donna at all. How could he not remember what his own wife smelled like?
He fell asleep hugging Donna's pillow while waiting for the telephone to ring. His dreams were full of dancing bottles of shampoo.
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