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turned back to the Springs, it seemed like the best idea I'd had all day.  I decided that what I really needed were three things:  Peppermint Mocha, a hot bath and a nap in my own bed.
    I drove in silence for a few minutes before checking to see if I had cell signal.  One bar.  Hmmm, maybe I could catch Rose at a port?  I pushed the Bluetooth button on the steering column and said "Call Rose."
    It rang several times before the voicemail picked up and Rose's familiar voice filled my ears.
    “You’ve reached Rose’s phone! I’m currently touring the Mediterranean Ocean with the love of my life so I can’t get to the phone right now. If this is Grace, you only have four days left. Take a deep breath, get over yourself and I’ll call you when I get home.”
    I smiled ruefully. She must have updated her voicemail message in the last day. For the first three days of her fourteen day cruise, I’d called her twice a day begging her to come home.  Yes, there were days when I was that insecure.  Of course, it hadn’t helped anything that I’d received the final divorce papers three hours after her flight had left.
    I had one option left.  When things got really bad, and I mean really bad , there was always my Lucy.  You know...the "deposit five cents for advice" type?
    Fred and I had met a few years ago at a meet-and-greet for Sci-Fi nerds (like me) and we'd hit it off.  What had developed since then was a masochistic - on my part, or maybe his...considering my level of neurotic - friendship where I called when I was lost.  He would then patiently tell me to pull my shit together.
    “Call Lucy,” I commanded my phone.
    He picked up on the second ring. “Deposit five cents for advice, please.”
    “Cha-Ching!” I replied.
    “I wondered how long it would take you to call. How long has Rose been gone? Twelve days?” he asked.
    “Ten,” I replied.
    “So you must be pretty desperate at this point. I should start charging more.”
    I chuckled. Just his voice helped sometimes. “I signed the papers today.”
    “Are you out celebrating your freedom from the selfish fuck?” he asked.
    “Mmm, not so much. I uh... I’ve had a couple of surprising revelations today and I just need... Crap, Fred. I don’t know what I need. I’m driving out of the mountains right now so if I drop, I’ll try calling back.”
    He made the appropriate noises and then demanded that I continue.
    “So I think that I met my Mom just now. My real mom, not the fake one and as I said, I signed the papers today,” I paused and took a deep breath. “I think that I’m just at my wit’s end.”
    “Well you know, this was the--.”
    “Don’t say it. Don’t fucking say it. I know he wasn’t good for me, but you get an idea in your head that you are supposed to be with someone for the rest of your life and it kind of sticks right? I don’t have balls of steel. I’m a marshmallow Fred. I’m a damned marshmallow and I hurt. And this mom thing—.”
    “Wait, what is this mom thing? I thought you had a mom. One of those 10 o’clock news, just murdered all of the competing cheerleaders moms. What happened to her?”
    “Well, you know she’s not my real mom.”
    “Right.”
    Don't get me wrong, I love Fred and I've trusted him with the deepest parts of me, but I didn't think this was the time to lay this kind of "Hey, my mom's a mythical goddess" crazy on him.  "I happened upon the real mom who's a little - well, she's a little off, I guess.  Maybe the crazy is genetic."  I took another deep breath to stave off the impending panic attack.
    “You know, if I didn’t know you better, I’d think that you brought this kind of crazy on yourself Gracie.”
    “I know right?” Here I was thinking that he had no idea but I guess he really did. “I just,” I paused. I didn’t know exactly what I wanted from him or anybody for that matter. “I guess I just needed to hear a friendly voice. Give me a song.” I demanded.
    “Hmm, let