I moved slowly back towards the kitchen and once again found her note.  “Butler, I’m leaving.”  That was the only line I could read at first.  I blinked and looked at it again to make sure I wasn’t imagining it.  It was all so surreal.  “I know you might be surprised, but I need to get away.  If you love me, don’t try to track me down.  I need to get away for a while, but I don’t know when I’m coming back.”  I knew Molly.  She had wanted to write “I don’t know IF I am coming back,” but she didn’t have the guts.  That was all I could read.

We only had one car, and Molly would drop me off at work if she needed it, but that day she hadn’t.  There was no airport in Bremerton, only a bus station and taxi service.  Once again, though, I knew Molly, and I realized she wouldn’t just get a ride into town.  Plus, she loved taking the bus on long trips because she enjoyed watching the landscape change as she rolled eastward.  Though she grew up in Montana, she had always wanted to live on the east coast.  Whenever she saw pictures of Boston and Philadelphia, she would say “Look, honey.  I want to go there one day.  Will you take me?”

I grabbed my keys and headed for the car.  Since the bus station wasn’t very big, I assumed I could probably guess which bus Molly took.  If I was lucky, she might still be there waiting on a delayed connection.  I had never driven so recklessly, but then again, safety was far from my first concern at that moment.  I knew if I could talk to her, or even just see her, I could convince her to stay.

The Bremerton Bus Station was pretty much empty.  It was about six o’clock, so the rush must have been earlier, if there was ever a rush.  I parked right in front of the main entrance and hurried in.