<span style="font-style: italic"><span style="text-decoration: underline">April 7, 1912</span></span><br/><br/>Yet another hard day, and very little gained from it. It wasn’t really anything new.<br/><br/>Evan sighed to himself, wrapping his bloodied hand in a wet rag. A lot of things were running through his mind right now, he wasn’t sure where to begin. It’s been like that for the past few weeks. At first it had been manageable but now… Now he finds himself in this state where his mind is constantly racing. Hell, he’s even losing sleep just because he’s not sure whether he would be alright to afford closing his eyes for a few minutes.<br/><br/>There was a knock at the door. Evan had shrugged it off, not really in the mood for company at this time. However, the knock had persisted.<br/><br/>“Give me a minute…” he shouted, not hesitating to mask his annoyance. When he saw who was on the other side of that door, however, that annoyance faced. It was a woman, someone he knew well. Karen. She has been a good friend to him over the past few years. Whenever he needed a shoulder to lean on, she would be there. Honestly he owed her more than he could offer… For a number of reasons. Especially given the events over the past few weeks. She stuck up for him, hell she even lied for him.<br/><br/>“What are you doing here?” He inquired, stepping aside to allow her to come in.<br/><br/>Karen took the invitation, “I’m sorry to arrive without warning.” She paused, as if she were choosing her words carefully. There was definitely something on her mind. Evan inhaled, jaw tensed, expecting the worst. “Is… is this a bad time?” She continued.<br/><br/>“No… No, of course not. What can I do for you?”<br/><br/>“I have something for you… May we sit?”<br/><br/>“Absolutely,” Evan gestured for her to come with him into the living room. He fixed up the couch, where he had thrown some of his things, and smiled when she sat down. “So, what is it?”<br/><br/>“One moment…” Karen placed her purse neatly upon her lap. She met his eye for a moment, then, without saying anything, she reached inside and pulled out a piece of paper. There was some slight hesitation; he could see her hand shaking slightly as she held it out to him. She met his eye, her mouth hanging open for a moment, as if she were trying desperately to keep herself together. “Take it,” she urged.<br/><br/>Evan reached for it cautiously. He looked the paper over, and immediately realized that it was not just some note. “This is a boarding ticket for the Titanic?” He met her eye, unable to believe what he was seeing, “Karen, are you leaving?”<br/><br/>She shook her head, “No, look again.”<br/><br/>His name was on it. “Why?” He inquired.<br/><br/>“You need to leave the country. I believe deep down, this is what’s best for you. I have tried so hard to help you out, and now I have found a solution.”<br/><br/>“I don’t know…”<br/><br/>Karen leaned forward and touched his shoulder, “Please… Evan, I know you want to stay and fight, but just look at you! Look at this apartment! And… Ken… I don’t want to think about what Ken will do to you the next time he sees you.” She paused, taking in a shaky breath.<br/><br/>“I know… I know… And I understand, and appreciate your concern, but I can handle this. I can fix things.”<br/><br/>“How? When?”<br/><br/>“I don’t know… I just will,” Evan scowled, beginning to feel annoyed.<br/><br/>Karen sighed, “Take the ticket. Leave for America. Please. Do this for me, just this one thing?”<br/><br/>The two stared at each other for a long minute, silent. Karen had tears in her eyes.<br/><br/>Evan looked at the ticket again. More things were running through his mind, but nothing he could say would be any comfort to either of them. He knew that she was right. This was a chance to get away from it all, begin a new life far, far away from all of his troubles here. Nothing ever worked out whenever he tried to make his life better. Leaving was the best option he had. Hell, it very well may be his only option.<br/><br/>Finally, he spoke: “When does the ship leave?” As much as he wanted to talk this over more, he knew time was of the essence.<br/><br/>She smiled, relieved, “Soon. Come on, I’ll help you pack.”