Niles' body temperature continued to drop and he was certain that he would be sick... as if he hadn't already been disgraced enough. He forced himself to breathe slowly and decided to play innocent.

"What are you talking about?"

"Come on, don't deny it!" Carla laughed. "We know all about your problem!"

Her comment brought even more laughter that Niles didn't find the least bit humorous. "M-my problem... is you!" he retorted, feeling much the way he did when he tried with little success to stand up to a bully in school. But as he figured, his words didn't faze her and he knew that she wouldn't give up until he explained. "M-my... problem." He repeated. "H-how did you find about that? Frasier mentioned it on his show but there's no way you could have-."
"Actually, Nilesy, we could." Cliff said, holding up the strangest contraption that Niles ever seen. It looked like a futuristic transistor radio.

"What is... that?" He dared to ask.

"Ah, that's the beauty of this contraption here. Wave of the future, I tell ya! The universal radio. With this little baby, you can get literally any radio station in the country! So we uh, took it upon ourselves to tune into his show. Fras has done pretty well for himself, hasn't he?"

"I..." Niles stood finding it hard to breathe as he staggered in a circle around the room.

"Something wrong there, Niles?" Norm asked.

"I- I have to go... reservations..." Niles managed to choke out while Cliff, Norm and Carla watched him in amusement.

"You mean... go?" Carla laughed. "By all means don't let us stop you! But what in the hell do you mean by reservations? Reservations for what? The men's room?"

More laughter followed as Niles pushed his way through the crowd and slipped into the foyer. For the first time since he'd gotten on the plane in Seattle he was grateful that Daphne wasn't around.

The thought pained him but it was nothing compared to what he felt at that moment; the deepest pain and mortification he'd ever felt in his life. Not only did the entire city and surrounding areas of Seattle know about his childhood secret, but now the news had spread all the way to Boston... and if word got back to Freddy...

But it was Daphne's imminent reaction that worried him most of all. He never told her... he couldn't... and besides it no longer mattered. But now... it was all coming back like some horrible nightmare of which he couldn't escape. And the fact that adults who associated with his brother found humor in his pain was just...

He bit back a sob, praying that no one saw him. He'd already been disgraced enough for one lifetime. But when a few tears escaped, he quickly and discreetly wiped them away. He had to get out of there. Any moment he would surely be missed and his family would come looking for him.

Without hesitation, he hurried out of the Somerville Town Crier and hailed the nearest taxi. Despite the taxi driver's less than conservative appearance, Niles climbed into the backseat and slammed the door.

"Take me to L'Espaliar as fast as you can, please!" He ordered. The driver turned around and glared at him. "Whoa, where's the fire buddy?"

Niles reached into his wallet and retrieved the largest denominational bill he could find. "Look, will you just take me there and step on it?"

The driver's eyes widened and he took the money. Then he stepped on the gas sending the taxi lurching foreword. As the taxi sped through the streets of Boston, Niles leaned against the backseat, blinking away tears.

"You're not from here are you?" The driver asked surprising Niles with the small talk.

"Um, no... I'm just visiting, from Seattle." He replied through clinched teeth.

The driver's eyes widened. "Seattle, huh? Long way from home."

"No kidding." Niles muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" the driver snapped.

Niles' insides turned cold. The driver seemed cordial enough but one could never be too careful.

"Um, nothing. Just... get me there as quickly as possible, please."

The driver drove even faster, taking the corners as though he were a race car driver. By the time he came to a screeching halt in front of the very elegant Le' Espalier, Niles' nerves were more rattled than before.

He paid the driver and rushed into the restaurant where he was greeted warmly by Mr. Pasqual.

"Table for one, please." Niles chocked out grateful for the dim lighting that hid the tears in his eyes.

"Certainly sir. And your name?"

"Crane, Dr. Niles Crane."

Mr. Pasqual smiled. "Ah, Dr. Crane! We've been expecting you! Will the others in your party be joining us?"

"No..." Niles replied hoarsely as the tears rose in his throat. "I'll be alone."