Epilogue

By Micki L. Bailey

[Now we rejoin Maggie on that dreary Wednesday afternoon while she’s lying on the couch with some wine…]

Oh, yes. Today was another day. I’d trade my own problems for Scarlet’s any day, Maggie thought.

With the sleeping pills and the alcohol, the nighttime hours hadn’t been so unbearable. Although she’d wanted to desperately, she had not yet called Nick. Elyse, the best listener in the world, was still out of town. And she couldn’t bring herself to call Earl Ray either to ask where Roger might be. Maybe she hoped to make the whole thing not so real if she kept it to herself as long as possible.

Rain hit the window outside. Thunder roared through her psyche. Dark, low clouds – inside and out – loomed around her, carrying suffocating weight.

Roger’s gone, really gone, and I don’t even know where to. I miss him. Of course I do. And, Christ, I don’t want to lose him. He’s been my everything. But am I still HIS everything?……….And I can’t wait to see Nick again. Oh, to look into those beautiful black eyes with the hot Mediterranean sun reflecting off them.

I’ve got to make some decisions………soon.

Go on, both of you. Take another little piece of my heart. It’s broken down in tiny little chunks, yours for the grabbing.

[Nick Santucci is based on a composite of characters portrayed by the actor James Russo.]