He added a flashlight and a picture of
Emma to the pile in front. Woof and Verdi watched uneasily.
He made a mug of black tea and sat at the kitchen table with a pen and
a pad of paper.
"Jennifer, I have to leave. I just realized it. It's better to do it
now while you're away. I don't think I could if Emma were here. I can't
give you the life you want and that you should have. It will be better
for Emma, too, in the long run. I am very sorry to cause you this pain.
You have been nothing but sweet to me, and you deserve better. I don't
know where I'm going, but it won't be anywhere around here--so you
don't have to wonder if I'm going to come driving in. Take care of
Emma. I couldn't do this if I didn't know it was best for everybody.
"Here is enough to keep you going for three months. I'll send more as
soon as I can. You can have the house and everything else. I just took
my tools and clothes. I'm sorry. Oliver"
He wrote a check and left it on top of the note. He washed the mug and
left it on the dish rack. Woof made a whimpering sound. Oliver patted
her. "Take care of everybody," he said.
Verdi sniffed at the door. "You want to come with me?" Oliver asked,
suddenly hopeful.
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