Leonard got into his car, his clothes were packed in the trunk and he had a full tank of gas. He pulled away and looked back in the rearview mirror at the apartment complex he lived in for the past fifteen years, over twelve of them with Penny as his neighbor, lover, wife and tormentor.
He headed north and as he reached the Pasadena city limits, he stopped and looked back at the sign welcoming people to the city. He mumbled under his breath, "I hope people entering the city will have a more pleasant experience than I did." He pulled back into traffic not ever wanting to return to Pasadena. He was on the freeway heading north, not sure where he going. He just knew he had to leave before Penny returned.
He stopped in Portland, Oregon and got a nice room at a fairly decent hotel. After checking in, he had dinner and picked up his phone. He saw a message from Bernadette and also one from Amy. He checked them and Amy's said that Penny was frantic. She returned home and found the note. She tried calling him, but his old cell phone was right there on the counter. Amy said she threatened her, but Amy refused to give her the new number, he was glad of that. He checked the message from Bernadette and she was crying, "Why did you leave without talking to me. You know I've always had feelings for you. We could have been good together." In a very soft voice, she added, "Goodbye Leonard, I'll always have a special place in my heart for you."
He was gonna call her, but knew if he did, she would persuade him to return to Pasadena and that was the last place he wanted to be right now.
He turned in early and lying there, he tried to decide where to go. He decided to go to Seattle and see if Andrea Herrera (Jaina Lee Ortiz) was still involved with her boss. He still wanted to go and if she wasn't free, he would still love to see her roommate, Maya Bishop(Danielle Savre).
Back in Pasadena before her call to Leonard, Amy and Bert returned to her apartment early. They wanted to be there when Penny returned home. They stayed in the living room, listening carefully for the elevator to open and hear Penny come home. It was around four in the afternoon when they heard her return.
Penny dragged her suitcase behind her as she fished her key out of her purse and opened the door. She stopped in the doorway and screamed out, "What the fuck, where is all the furniture?" She didn't bother closing the door as she raced to the kitchen where the laptop was still playing the loop of the action with her and the five black porn stars. Her hand flew to her mouth, "Oh fuck, what happened?"
She stared at the video and knew Leonard had saw this and set this up. She turned it off and picked up the note. She read it and she fell to the floor. She curled up in a ball and began sobbing uncontrollably.
Amy and Bert came into the apartment and stood in the doorway, watching and waiting for her to settle down, but it didn't happen. She had her face buried in her hands and she was crying. Amy walked softly into the apartment and slipped to her knees beside Penny. She leaned over and took Penny in her arms.
Penny looked up and through tear-stained eyes, looked to Amy, "He's gone Amy, he left me and he's filed for divorce. What am I going to do? I'm lost without him."
Amy just held her and tried to comfort her. She knew anything she said wouldn't change the fact that she fucked up and Leonard finally woke up and cut the cord and left for good.
Over at Bernadette's house, Raj just broke the news to her about Leonard finding out the extra-marital activities Penny had indulged in. She broke down, not so much about Leonard and Penny's marriage being dissolved, but because he had left Pasadena and any thought of them ever getting together was over. She tried calling him, but only got a voicemail. She left him a message and once again, broke down crying.
Raj tired to comfort her, but it didn't help and now, more than ever she was bound and determined to stick it to Penny. She got on her laptop and finding the videos of Penny and the five black porn stars, she sent them to Dan, the head man at Zangen the company where both Penny and she worked.
Dan was furious and his first thought was to fire the slut, but after seeing the tag-line and the favorable responses that their new erectile dysfunction drug was receiving, he immediately had an idea.
The video backfired for Bernadette and Dan thought it was a surefire way to promote their drug. He set up an entire promotion, both R-rated and X-rated and he was going to have Penny, this top salesperson, the lead actress.
Bernadette didn't tell Penny how happy Dan was about the videos and how effective the product was. The videos were proof that it worked and Dan wanted to thank her.
Dan called her several times, but she wouldn't answer it. She was to distraught and let his every call go to voicemail.
Bernadette was still pining for Leonard and was shutoff to everyone. Raj knew she was sad, not because Penny and Leonard were no longer a couple, but because her life-partner was gone for good.
Raj felt the same way about Bernadette, but knew it wasn't the time or the place to tell her how he felt. He waited ten years and knew another few weeks, or even months. He would wait, he would tell her, but not until Leonard wasn't in her every thought.
Penny was unsure of what to do next. She was thinking Dan wanted to fire her, but if she only knew, it would be one less thing for her to sort out. She huddled in her bed, crying herself to sleep. She missed Leonard and she knew she fucked up. She knew it was over, but she just couldn't bring herself to getting up and facing the truth.
Halfway across the country, the train pulled into the station in Chicago. Sheldon hailed the first cab he could find and gave the driver the address of the Courtyard Hotel near the Chicago Medical Center. He was hoping to meet up with Dr. Natalie Manning (Torrey DeVitto) and nurse April Sexton (Yaya DeCosta).
After checking into the hotel, he looked to Sally, "Would you please do me the honor of being my date for dinner tonight?"
She grinned from ear to ear, "I would love to Sheldon." She dressed in her finest and Sheldon wore a suit.
He ordered a bottle of wine and as he poured it, he looked back and realized that he, more so than Amy, Leonard or even Bernadette without Howard, he had changed. He knew it was all for the better, but was upset with himself for taking it all out on his friends.
He raised his glass, "To you Sally Hofstadter, the most graceful and the most gorgeous traveling companion a man could ever expect. Thank you for traveling with me."
She smiled at him and actually blushed, "You are most welcome Sheldon and I feel the same way about you."
They walked along the waterfront in Chicago. Spring had finally arrived, but with the cool breeze, Sally felt a chill. Sheldon offered her his jacket and afterwards they hailed a cab and returned to the hotel.
