Late May 2003:
"Sarah, wake up!"
Sarah snapped awake to the call of a voice she did not recognize and looked at the unfamiliar room around her, disoriented. Then she remembered that she was at Marsha's place and that her friend's husband had called her "Hello, Rick!" She got up and stretched.
"Do you feel better?"
"Thanks, yes, I'm much better."
"Marsha is nearly finished with dinner."
"Back in a minute." Sarah went to the bathroom to refresh herself. When she came back, Rick was setting the table. A few minutes later Marsha served the food, macaroni with a spicy zucchini and tomato sauce and they dug in. They talked about Sarah's impending divorce and she told her friends how she wanted to handle splitting up with George.
When they were finished, Sarah looked at her watch "Half past six. Let's get the dishes cleaned up and then we can go."
In a few minutes they had everything cleaned up and left the apartment.
# # # # #
George and his friends, Anthony and Margaret Taxus, had eaten at a Chinese restaurant and arrived at George's apartment a quarter to seven. They sat down at the table, and talked a little while they waited. A few minutes later Sarah and her friends came in. They all shook paws, except for Sarah who refused George's offered paw and they all sat down.
George looked at Sarah who sat at the opposite end of the table. When he saw the determined look on her face, his heart sank "There is no chance that you would reconsider splitting up, Sarah?"
Sarah looked at him for several long seconds then she took off her ring and slid it over to him.
He looked at it, then his shoulders slumped and he sighed "I know I can't undo the damage I did. But I want to apologize. I did not realize until today, just how badly I treated you these last few months and how much I hurt you. I'm sorry, Sarah." Try as he might, he could not look her in the eye "Let's get this over with."
Sarah did not speak for a minute, then she said "Yes, let us finish this as quickly as possible. ... Rick would you set up your computer and write everything down."
Rick put his laptop on the table and turned it on "I'll write everything down. Then we can print a copy for everybody and sign it, ok?" There were nods all around.
Sarah said "I'll find out what exactly we have to do to make the divorce official and call you when I know, probably early next week."
George only nodded.
"First item, each of us has a car. We transfer the ownership and lease on my Sportage to me. Any problem with that, George?"
"No."
"The apartment was yours before we married. I don't want it and I will look for another one. Together we put a lot of money into the apartment and the furniture. You can keep most of it, but I want you to help me pay to get my own. You pay half the down payment and half if I need to buy basic furniture."
He hung his head "I don't like it very much, but ok. As long as you don't go overboard."
"I won't ask for anything that you don't have here. We will leave it up to our friends to decide if what I'm asking is fair, ok?"
George looked around, then he said "Yes."
They talked for about one hour. Then Rick printed several copies of the agreement and they all signed them.
"Sarah, you can stay with us until you find something. We have a spare bedroom that we only use to store stuff at the moment."
"I'd like to. Thank you, Marsha."
Then Sarah filled two suitcases with her clothes and other important stuff and they left.
When Sarah and her friends had left, George put his face in his paws and sat like that for several minutes. Then he said "I feel like drinking something. Tony, do you want something as well?"
Tony looked at his wife, who sighed and said "Ok, but don't overdo it. I'll watch TV while you males do what you have to do to get over this. I guess I'll have to drive you home afterwards."
"Thank you, Margaret." She went into the den and closed the door behind her.
George fetched a bottle of bourbon and two glasses and poured for himself and his friend.
# # # # #
Sarah put the suitcase on the bed in Marsha's guest room, then she asked "I'd like to call my parents, is that ok with you?"
"No problem, take the cordless."
"Thanks."
"Harold Carolinae speaking."
"Hello Dad!"
"Sarah! How are you?"
"I'm ok, I guess."
"How are things with George? Do you need any help ... dealing with him?"
"No, dad." She grinned "You don't have to get the key to the gun closet. Things went reasonably well today. Together with some friends we got everything set up. I'm going through with the divorce. If things go well, this should be finished next week."
"I talked with Jane. It is sad that you had to break up with him. But from what she told me, it is probably for the best."
"Yes, dad."
"Do you want to talk with your mother?"
"Yes, please. I love you, dad."
"Jane!" "Bye, girl. I love you too."
Sarah told her mother about the divorce, they talked for nearly half an hour.
# # # # #
"Good Morning, Zig!"
"Hello Sarah! How did things go yesterday?"
"It went well enough. With the help of several friends we hammered out an agreement on how to split up our stuff. I'll need some time off in the next few days. There is just so much to organize. Get a new checking account. Transfer ownership of the car. Find a new apartment. Get the all the papers in order and signed. All kinds of things to do."
"No problem. As long as this does not upset our schedule."
Sarah thought about this for a little "That should not be a big problem. There is very little that absolutely has to be done in the next few days. Most of the pictures that I want to do can wait a little longer without causing problems. Sabrina is still on maternity leave and she has things mostly under control now. She has been able to do quite a bit of work recently. And I'll probably be in for a few hours every day anyway."
"Very good. If you need any help with the paperwork or have legal problems, talk with Marvin. He can either help you or hook you up with our layer."
"Thank you, Zig. I'll keep that in mind. Bye."
"Bye, Sarah."
# # # # #
Last week of May 2003:
Amazingly, things worked pretty well. Sarah squared out all the paperwork, they were divorced and she changed her name back to Carolinae. She found a small but nice apartment not too far from the studios. With the help of her friends she moved her things and had it mostly set up by Saturday. A lot of details still needed ironing out, but she could live in her new apartment.
# # # # #
First week of June 2003:
However as the next week progressed, Sarah found herself increasingly depressed, annoyed and short tempered.
Wednesday afternoon Wanda came to her office "Hello Sarah! How are you?"
Sarah turned to her, ears laid back and snarled more than said "I'm ok. What do you want?"
Wanda was taken aback by the hostility Sarah radiated "Nothing special. I just wanted to chat a bit."
"I'm busy."
"Sorry to disturb you. Bye" and she left in a hurry.
Sarah turned back to her screen.
"Hello Zig! Do you have a moment?"
"Wanda! Of course. Come in. What's up?"
"Do you know what the matter is with Sarah? I tried to talk with her and she nearly bit me. I've never seen her that angry."
"Did you see her the week before last? Her husband beat her up, then she divorced him last week. I think she is still rattled. She'll probably come around in a few days."
"Hmmm, thing is, I talked with her Monday morning, she seemed a bit stressed but otherwise alright and rather glad that she left him. She wasn't anywhere as bad as today."
"I'll keep an eye on her, Wanda. If her mood does not improve, I'll talk with her."
"Ok, thanks Zig. See you tomorrow."
"Bye."
# # # # #
"Home at last!" Sarah thought as she closed the door behind her. Quickly she hung up her jacket, padded into the living room and flopped down on the couch "Why is everybody suddenly staring at me? Staring at my paw? The drive home was hell. Has everybody suddenly forgotten how to drive properly?" It took her several minutes to calm down. She fixed herself a quick meal. After a hot bath she felt a bit more relaxed but very tired. So she called it a day and went to bed early.
# # # # #
When she came into her office, Zig saw the printout that Sarah must have dropped on her table after she had left yesterday. She looked at it carefully "Not bad. But something is not right. Hmmm, it looks kind of grim. I'll ask her about this later." She put it aside and started going through the papers in the folder Marvin had given her.
An hour later Zig was finished with the things that Marvin had put on her desk, except for a few that needed a bit more thought or consultation before she made a decision. She got up and stretched. Then she picked Sarah's drawing and padded over to her office. The door was closed, which was unusual. "She never has her door closed when she is in." She knocked and let herself in. Sarah sat at her computer, staring at the screen "Good morning, Sarah. Do you have a minute?"
Sarah turned to her. The look she gave Zig was anything but friendly "Morning. Is this important?"
Zig considered her "She looks as if she would like to send me packing, but she does not quite dare to do it." She put the picture on the table "Yes, this is important. What is the matter with you?"
"Everything is ok. I'm just busy."
"Sarah, don't lie to me. Something is wrong with you. I know you have been through a lot in the last week, but you can't go on behaving like that."
"I said I'm ok."
Zig pulled up a chair, sat down and put her paws on Sarah's and looked her in the eyes "Please, talk to me. Something is really bothering you. Please let me help you."
Sarah tried to pull her paws away, but Zig held them fast. She gave up and hung her head. Finally she started talking "It feels like everybody is laughing at me. I can't stand it any more. I just want to be alone, please."
"Sarah, I am not laughing at you, and neither is anyone else here. I am really glad you left that creep."
"So ... you think I'm crazy?"
"No, you are not crazy, Sarah. You are probably just stressed out. You have been hurt badly, and you need some time to recover."
"You think so? There's nothing wrong with me?"
"No, there's nothing really wrong with you. You need some time to get over this. Why don't you take a few days off and have a little holiday?"
Sarah thought about this for some time "Maybe you are right. Maybe I could really use a holiday. But now that I'm on my own, I have so many extra costs. I can't really afford one."
"You don't have to fly to Hawaii. You could visit friends or maybe your parents."
"Hmmm, yes. I would like to do something like that, but I still need all the money I can earn. And I don't get any paid leave for some time yet."
"Sarah, you can't go on like this. It is starting to affect your work as well. Look at that picture you gave me yesterday." she picked up the printout and showed it to her."
"What's wrong with it?" Sarah looked at Zig, suddenly afraid "Is she not satisfied with my work any more?"
"It is good, as a work of art. But it looks so ... grim. I can't use it like that. It is supposed to be a promotional picture for a porn flick, not for a horror movie." Zig considered her "You need some time off. I'll pay you half your normal salary while you are away. When you come back, you'll feel much better. And you'll do much better work."
Sarah breathed a sigh of relief and smiled "Thanks, Zig. You really mean this?" Zig nodded. "Oh, my. That's so generous of you, how can I ever thank you for this?"
"Just come back refreshed and continue the great work you have been doing. So what are you going to do?"
"I have to call Alice, a very good friend of mine. She has a lodge in the mountains. I'd really like to stay there. And then I'd like to visit my parents for a few days."
"Sounds good. How long do you want to stay?"
"I don't know yet. A week, maybe even two. Is that ok with you?"
Zig thought about is "You know better where you stand as far as our deadlines are concerned."
Sarah ticked off items she had to do "There is only the cover for 'Animal Attractions' and one more picture as a promotional poster that has to be finished in the next two weeks. I can probably get the cover finished if I work on it today and tomorrow. If not, Sabrina should be able to finish those without problems. And probably also most of the things that have to be ready the week after. I'll be a little behind, but not so much that I could not catch up in a few days if I put in some overtime."
"Very good. So that is settled, ok?"
"Yes, I'll have to call my friend Alice, of course, but I think I will do this. I'll tell you tomorrow."
Zig got up and smiled at her "Bye then. See you."
"Zig! ... Thank you."
# # # # #
When she came home, Sarah felt a little better than she had yesterday. She ate a light meal, then she called her friend Alice.
"Martin Castor."
"Hello, this is Sarah."
"Hi, Sarah. How are you?"
"I don't know, I'm glad everything went reasonably well with George, but the last few days I have not felt good."
"Are you ill?"
"Not that I know of. I just feel a little depressive and irritable."
"Hmmm, sorry to hear that. ... Do you want to talk with Alice?"
"Please."
"Alice, Sarah is on the phone!" he called, then "Bye." as he pawed the receiver to Alice.
"Sarah! How are you?"
"Not so good, Alice. I'm kind of depressed and I always feel so angry these last few days. I guess I must have been a real bitch at work, my boss practically ordered me to take a holiday."
"So, where are you going?"
"Actually that is why I called you. Could I spend a few days at your lodge?"
"Of course. I'd be happy to see you again. When?"
"I was thinking of starting out tomorrow, right after work. Drive a part of the way and then stay overnight at a motel somewhere. I'd be at your place around noon on Saturday."
"Hey, that is great, you are not wasting any time, are you? The only thing is we are busy Saturday evening and Sunday. You'd be all alone at the lodge."
"No problem. Truth to tell, at the moment I rather feel like spending a few days alone and just relax. Go hiking or climb some trees."
"I wouldn't know about the climbing, but there is a huge maple tree not far from the lodge. There is also a nice pond to swim in, but the water is quite cold."
"Great. I'm sure we can see each other some other day. I don't know yet how long I want to stay there, but probably until the weekend after."
"Well, if the weather is good, we'll probably spend that weekend in the lodge as well. There is plenty of space for the three of us."
"Great. So it's a deal?"
"Yes. See you on Saturday."
"Bye, Alice. I'm really looking forward to this."
Then she called her parents.
"Jane Carolinae speaking."
"Hello, mum!"
"Sarah. How are you?"
"Well, I feel a little under the weather. But I'm taking a two week holiday, I hope that helps me get on my feet again."
"Great. That should help you. Where are you going?"
"First I'm going to Alice's lodge in the mountains. I'll probably stay there for eight or ten days. Then I wanted to visit you for a few days."
"I'd be really glad to see you again, it has been too long since your last visit. I only work in the morning that week, and Harold can probably take off a day so we can do something together."
"I'll probably come on Tuesday or Wednesday the week after next. It's a six hour drive from Alice's place. I'll call you from there before I set out, ok?"
"Fine, I'm looking forward to this."
"Do you have something to write with ready?"
"(pause) Ok."
"You won't be able to reach me while I'm at the lodge, but here is Alice's phone number. If anything comes up and you want to get in touch with me or leave a message for me, call her."
"Ok, got it."
"Bye then. I'll call you from Alice's place."
"Bye, Sarah."
Then Sarah packed her things, two suitcases and a sports bag full of clothes and other stuff. As she went through her locker, she saw the box with her pistol "I'll be all alone up there. You never know." and she packed it as well. Then she had a hot shower and went to bed.
# # # # #
Friday afternoon, Sarah knocked on Zig Zag's door.
"Sarah, come in. So how are you."
"Good. Looking forward to my holiday. I just talked with Sabrina and got her up to speed and sent her my sketches and the other stuff."
"Very good. When are you leaving?"
"There is the cover that I want to finish, it should not take more than an hour or two." She put an envelope on Zig's table. "There's the phone numbers of my friend Alice and my parents. While I'm at Alice's lodge you will not be able to reach me directly, but if anything really important comes up, Alice could drive there and fetch me. I'll be there for ten days or so, the rest of the time I'll be with my parents."
"Thank you, Sarah. I hope I don't need this. But it is good to be able to reach you." She put the envelope in a drawer, looked at the clock and got up "I'll be leaving in less than half an hour. Have a good holiday Sarah, and come back well rested." They hugged, then Sarah went back to her office.
About two hours later Sarah left the studio and started her journey. The traffic in Columbus was pretty bad, it took her quite some time to get out of the city. She covered about one third of the distance before she decided to call it a day and she pulled up at a cheap looking motel.
# # # # #
We were driving on a winding road high up in the Shenandoah National Part. The view down was breathtaking. I saw a small parking lot ahead of us and turned to my friend "Ich möchte ein paar Fotos machen, bleib da vorne stehen. [I want to shoot a few pictures, stop there.]"
"Kein Problem. [No problem.]"
He pulled into the parking lot and stopped the car. I got out, stretched and inhaled the clean air. Then I picked up my camera case and walked to the railing. I looked down, admiring the view. "Yes, a set of pictures here will make a nice panorama." I unpacked the camera and the tripod and quickly set them up. Just as I bent down to line up the first shot, I felt a strange tingling feeling course through my body. Then there was the loudest thunderclap I've ever heard.
Then blackness.
End of Chapter 5