Jack's mother insisted she would be fine since Joanne had set up housekeeping with her and they had begun talking about combining the two households into one. It made sense to them and it made sense to Jack. It took a large weight off his shoulders when he knew that Joanne would be there to temper the loneliness and possible depression that his mother might encounter in the next few weeks.
He had called Donna the next evening and she wondered why he hadn't called her the previous night. He told about the dinner with an old schoolmate and left it at that. It wasn't a lie; it just wasn't all of the truth. He told her he would be back in Courtenay later the next day and would see her then. She was just happy to know he would be home again. Jack was not quite so happy.
He had agonized that night; losing sleep over whether to tell Donna what had happened or just shut up and keep it to himself. There was almost no chance whatsoever that she would find out about his fling with Merilee, but he would always know and it would go against something he had always believed in; complete honesty in a relationship. He knew the danger of revealing what had taken place might destroy his bond with Donna and it was something he wanted to avoid at almost any cost. She had become far too important to him to lose now.
As he sat in the lounge of the ferry, he thought of his previous trip west to the island months earlier. He was seeking an escape and nothing had turned out the way he had expected. He tried to be someone else and hadn't been able to sustain it. He was who he was. His seduction and dominance of Donna had been an act and although successful, it wore thin as he realized he was falling in love with her.
What he could not understand was what had happened with Merilee. It was so completely unlike him and so reprehensible that he couldn't come to terms with anything that had happened. He was disgusted with himself and had gone over the events of that evening a hundred times in his head without any comprehension of why he had indulged himself so selfishly.
When he rang the bell at Donna's house that Tuesday afternoon, he still hadn't made up his mind on what he would or would not tell her. She must have been nearby as it was only a couple of seconds before the door swung in and she was standing there with open arms. He moved toward her and was rewarded with her comforting embrace and a heartfelt kiss. He had forgotten how he had grown accustomed to these simple things that were Donna's.
"Welcome home, Jack," she said in a subdued tone.
"Thanks ... good to be here." he smiled.
"How's your mother?"
"Fine ... I think. Joanne is with her now and I think they might make it permanent."
"That will be good for both of them ... won't it?"
"I think so. I hope so." he said quietly. "At their age, they can use a companion and a bit of comfort."
He looked at her with a blank expression and then took her in his arms and held her tightly without saying a word.
"What's wrong, Jack? I can feel it. I can tell something's not right." she questioned nervously.
"I knew I couldn't fool you, Donna." he said simply. "We'd better sit down ... we need to talk."
Donna felt a wave of fear and nausea pass through her. This couldn't be good. This was going to hurt. She knew it. She was sure it was going to hurt.
"Donna ... I've done something incredibly stupid, selfish and ... I don't know how else to describe it. Perhaps evil." he said looking directly into her eyes. "The night I didn't call you ... the night I was out with an "old school mate" ... it was a school mate ... a woman ... and ... I slept with her." He stopped, still looking directly at her. He heard her sharp intake of breath and saw her eyes widen.
"No! No! Not you, Jack? How could you?" It was a voice almost pleading for him to deny it ... to take it all back. She desperately didn't want it to be true.
"I'm sorry, Donna. It's true. I have no excuse. I wasn't drunk or drugged or hypnotized or anything like that. I can't tell you why ... I don't know myself. I only know I am ashamed of what I did and I couldn't live with myself if I hid it from you. Even if you never found out, I would always know what I did." His voice was sorrowful and quiet. Donna sat facing him with a hand over her mouth and the wide eyed expression never leaving her face. They sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity.
Finally, Jack broke the silence. "I'm sorry, I've hurt you badly and I can't take it back. I want you to know I would do anything to make it right, but I can't take it back."
"Just go, Jack. Please ... just go." she said, tears filling her eyes and beginning their track down her cheeks.
He stood, looked down at her with a pained expression and left, closing the front door quietly behind him.
He must have known he was going to make this confession and he must have known that it would end this way. He had left his bags in the car. He sat in the driver's seat for a few moments, staring up at the living room window, but there was no sign of Donna. Perhaps it was an omen. He started the Volvo and drove quietly toward his house.
Jack did what Jack did best in times of crisis. He buckled down and threw himself into his work. Maurice had manfully tried to keep up with the workload during Jack's absence, but in truth, he was swamped. Jack vowed to make that right with him. He had told him of his mistake with Merilee and his confession to Donna. He hadn't spoken to Donna since that afternoon.
Jack worked day and night to take the pressure off Moe and in a little over two weeks, they had not only caught up, but they were now ahead of schedule. In addition, he had not booked any hours for the first ten days to help compensate for the time that Moe had lost with his family.
On the third weekend after his return, Moe and Annette invited Jack to dinner on Saturday evening. Jack almost declined and then thought better of it. He owed a big debt to them and an evening with them was little to ask of him. He knew he'd be getting the third degree from Annette and he was sure she had been in touch with Donna, but he hadn't heard a word from Donna since he had left her home that afternoon. He had seen her in town once or twice, but only from a distance and he didn't have the courage to approach her.
When Jack arrived at the Desjardin's home that Saturday, he was greeted at the door by both Moe and Annette and they seemed genuinely pleased to see him. Notably absent were the children.
"Where are the kids?" Jack asked, expecting to be surrounded by them with their usual enthusiastic greeting.
"They're having a sleep-over at their friends' house. We've got the place to ourselves." Annette smiled.
"So, if you want to have that extra glass or two of wine ... you can stay in the guest room instead of going home." Moe chimed in.
"That's very thoughtful. I might just do that." Jack smiled. "Now that we're back to normal, we can relax a bit."
He noticed the looks that Moe and Annette shot each other at his last comment.
"What?" he asked.
"Back to normal would have Donna here too." Annette said with a frown.
"Ah ... that ... yes ... I suppose you're right." Jack said forlornly. "I guess I owe you an explanation."
