"I-I don't know." Angela said, her voice quiet and defeated. Jack frowned at her. Angela never behaved like this. "We're not moving permanently, just..." she trailed off, unable to verbalize her thoughts. "Me an' Johnny have to go to school in Boston. We'll come back in the summer...and we'll visit. It's not..." Angela sighed and shook her head. There were no tears left. No emotion left. There was nothing. She was tired and drained.

Jack didn't speak. He felt as though someone had just smacked him in the head. He didn't know what to say. He couldn't comprehend it, he was so shocked.

"When?" Jack slowly uttered. Angela stared at her feet. "Soon. In a few days." she said carefully. "Why...why didn't ya say somethin'?" He sounded hurt. Angela looked up, studying his strained face. "No one told me," she hissed bitterly. "Do you think I wouldn't tell you the second I found out?" she cried in anguish. The anger and hurt had been building up inside and had finally burst. Jack sighed sadly. "Sorry." Angela muttered, turning away, ashamed at losing control. "I'm so sorry." she repeated sullenly. Jack's face softened. "It ain't yer fault." he said, taking a step towards her. Angela glanced at him and nodded vaguely. "Mmm, I know. I know." she said, her tired voice dropping to a whisper.

Jack gazed at her, a pained look on his face. He felt so helpless. Angela seemed to be slipping away from him before his eyes. Jack reached out and put his arms around her, hoping to comfort her and also trying to reassure himself that she was still there. For now anyway...

Angela closed her eyes and leaned against Jack. She thought she had finished crying but it was soon apparent the tears were just beginning. She sighed, too exhausted to fight the emotions, tears streaming down her cheeks, soaking into Jack's worn shirt.

I reach out and put my arms around her but she doesn't respond. I'm holding her but she's miles away. She doesn't say anything; she just cries. It's the scariest thing I've ever seen. They're these silent tears, the kind that just come and don't wanna stop. It scares me to see her like that and I'm desperately fighting back my own tears.

She's not leaving forever but it feels like it. I can't even imagine a day without her, without always knowing she'll be there for me, someone to count on. It had felt so right. I don't know what I was thinking. I thought I had everything, like my life was finally going somewhere. I had something. I had Angela. What the hell was I thinking. Just too stupid to realize that life won't ever be good to someone like me.

She's gonna go off to Boston and return to her high-class life at some private school. And what do I get? I'm left here in the dusty streets of New York with a hole in my heart. Breaking my back over some lousy newspapers. What's the use anymore? People like me don't get lucky. I just...I just thought that maybe I had.

I pick the deck of cards up off the table and start absently shuffling them when Jack comes in. He's hanging his head and walking so slowly and deliberately that I know something must be wrong. He doesn't say anything, not a word. He's just dead silent. Something is very wrong.

He collapses in a chair to my left and closes his eyes, putting his face in his hands. He looks exhausted. I'm scared. I don't know what could make him so upset and I don't really want to. I ask anyway, "Jack, what's wrong." It's more of a statement than a question, my voice comes out so flat. He sighs tiredly.

"Angie," he says. I can see he's fighting back tears. I've never seen Jack like this. It frightens me. I don't know what to do. I desperately want to help him but I don't know what to do. I wait for an explanation. "She's leaving. Gonna go ta school in Boston now." he slowly murmurs. He's trying real hard not to cry but the tears come anyway. It scares me, almost more than anything, that Jack could sound defeated, so lost. I want to do something. I have to do something. My mind is reeling. I can't think straight, can't think of anything...

I feel awful. I'd seen this coming. When Jack first met Angela I'd seen this coming. I'd been so afraid that she'd move and hurt Jack more that she could ever comprehend in her high-class world. I'd been right. But what could I have done? Something...something about them...it just seemed right.

I look up at Jack's glassy eyes and his blank stare. I'm so mad at the world. Why should all this happen to Jack? To me. I can feel the tears starting and I try to fight them but it's too hard to think about all this and keep my emotions under control. I glance at Jack and I see the tears running down his face. He looks at me but he's not really seeing me. He stands up abruptly and stumbles out of the room. I turn away. It's all too much to handle. I put my face in my hands and sob.

I wipe the dirt off my hands and step back to admire the pink flowers I had just planted. I've been roasting in the sun all afternoon and I sit down under the shade of the giant oak tree in my yard. I've only been sitting here a few minutes when I notice Lynn and Mush walking down the street. Mush looks scared. Lynn has been crying. Lynn never cries. Her face is red and so are her eyes. "Lynn, what's wrong?" I ask, wondering if I really want to know. Lynn doesn't answer. Mush looks at me and shrugs helplessly. I grab Lynn's arm and take her to the back steps, leaving Mush to walk back alone.

"Lynn, what happened?" I quietly ask, my voice serious. Lynn looks at me for a moment but doesn't speak. Tears begin to well up in her eyes. She doesn't even try to fight them. I look at her sadly, wanting an explanation. Lynn looks up at me, and for a moment she looks like she's about to speak but then she just turns away, shaking her head.