the (fabricated) story of my ring: part 7.

{Part 1 here, Part 2 here, Part 3 here, Part 4 here, Part 5 here. Part 6 here.}

Sometimes unfortunate events happen, and Nadine knew that. She was surprised, though, that George would leave her suddenly and without notice. It seemed so out of character, and that's because it was.

The morning before George left, he had written a note to Nadine and placed it outside her door:

Dearest Nadine,

It is with greatest regret that I leave, unable to tell you ahead of time. I'm afraid my mother is quite ill, and our family must gather together and be with her right now. I came by this morning, but you must have been out on your morning walk. I traced your imaginary footsteps and still could not find you. You must have started a new path, which is so wonderfully typical of you. My lease at the apartment was almost up anyway, so it just made more sense for me to pack up and leave, since I'm not sure when I'll return. I'll find some way to come visit you on Sunday, but call me at this number until then (508) 631-5682.

Yours always,
George

But in a busy apartment complex, full of hustle and bustle, the note made its way outside to the sidewalk below. Person after person walked and scattered the note about until it wasn't really outside the apartment complex at all, but somewhere entirely different. In the week since George's departure, Nadine had painted her apartment walls green, taken 17 walks, completely rearranged her apartment furniture twice, and auditioned for a part at the theater where she was employed.

George eagerly awaited Nadine's call, but it never came. Seeing as they had always been neighbors, George had never actually been given Nadine's telephone number. He realized now how silly that was and he wished so badly that it could somehow be delivered to him. More than that, Nadine was not listed in any of the phone books he could find. It was almost as if she had never existed. On the Sunday George planned to visit, his mother was actually doing much better than she had been since he arrived. However, unsure that her health would remain, George felt as though he should stay with his family and enjoy a day where they all felt good and happy. He reluctantly decided to stay.

Part 8 here.