Joe woke with a feeling of dread. The bed was empty next to him. Where was Suzan? He listened intently for the usual morning sounds  but didn’t hear the shower running or the usual rattling of kitchen ware. 

     A bottle of Scotch sat on the night table next to his side of the bed with a shot glass sitting next to it. Then he remembered the fight. 

     His hands bore no scratches or signs of injury. Hopefully the two of them hadn’t come to blows. He was still rebooting his memory. Then it all came back to him as he sat up. What the hell had he done?

     He lit a cigarette and took in a deep breath filled with that magic mix of toxic, smoke filled with tar and nicotine. Then as those chemicals kicked in, he remembered.

     They had had another silly fight again over almost nothing, as he saw it. 

     He scanned the room and saw that the bigger half of the closet was now empty. Bits and pieces of his clothing lay on the deep carpet. they had fallen as Susan quickly threw here belonging into the two missing suitcases that usually sat in the far corner of the closet on her side. they were very nice suitcases. Far better than his old, battered cases that he had owned since college. 

It was instantly obvious to him, even in his state, that his love and fiancée had packed her bags and left with little warning at some point while he was sleeping. She had reached her breaking point.

     His small but tidy apartment felt large and empty now as he looked around the room for any remnants of her. 

     The argument had been ugly. Alcohol had played its part. The apartment looked as if a tornado had come in from the south east and swept all her belongings away. Many small items were now missing from the kitchen, as well. Susan’s shot glass sat on the coffee table. 

     Susan had warned Joe in many subtle and not so subtle ways that their life together had taken a turn for the worse over the last few autumn months. 

     His work had turned out to be less rewarding both in prestige and financial rewards than she had hope for. That financial part was the last straw, or so Joe thought.  

     A National Geographic magazine sat on the coffee table across the small one room apartment from Joe. It had been there for several weeks as Joe and Susan had planned their honeymoon. They had flipped through the pages at random and landed in Africa. This was how they  had come up with a destination for their honeymoon.     

     Susan loved pictures of the wild animals and the idea of an exotic honeymoon. They both agreed that chance should decide where they would travel to just as chance had let them come together, initially. It became an easy process once they agreed to just let go. Joe had saved most of the money needed for the vacation over nearly two years.

    Joe and Susan’s life together seemed to be over now, for what ever reasons. 

     Bright sunlight shot through the crack in the dark drapes and splashed on the magazine as a warm reminder of his laziness. Susan had asked him to put it away after their plan had been settled and their plans had been finalized. Joe, as usual hadn’t done that. It was just one more point of contention in a relationship growing more difficult each day. Susan liked a neat apartment with some style and Joe, was Joe. She had grown up in a nice part of town win a one house with a yard and great neighbors. Their were often large parties with those wealthy neighbors living nearby. Joe came from a different background and set of circumstances. His life hadn’t necessarily been difficult but he came from a lower station in life as Susan saw it. 

    Susan was gone now and had no thoughts of returning. She was starting her life over with her “new friend.” 

     Joseph was alone in the city now and had little reason to stay. The autumn weather was turning for the worse and offered little comfort to him. He looked for his phone but couldn’t remember where he had set it last night. 

    The two of them had stopped for drinks at The Capital Grill with friends and had a few more when they arrived home. They had had a few more drinks before the fight started and eventually going to bed angry at each other.

     As more blood reached Joe’s brain, he remembered where the phone was. He walked to the corner of the small kitchenette and reached for it sitting on the bar behind the toaster. “I guess the toaster wouldn’t fit in her luggage,” Joe thought as he saw the expensive appliance sitting in it’s place. 

     He looked at his contact list and called Charline, his secretary. She answered quickly. Joe liked that about her. She was very efficient. 

     “Joe Drake’s office, how may I help you?” “Hey lovely, it’s Joe. I don’t think I’m coming into the office today, I need some personal time.” “What’s up Joe?” Joe didn’t answer right away. “I know I have some vacation  time left on the calendar.” “You’re right Joe, but there’s a meeting you need to come to tomorrow at eleven. The boss and you are meeting Charles Summers about his new book.” “I’m finally really done with Susan, Charline, or she’s finally done with me. It’s for good this time. Charline said nothing but smiled.