Happy Days: An Accident of the Heart

Chapter 5: Saving Sadie

"Fonzie, it's time you knew the truth. I know why Sadie may have left you...just...let...Let. Go. Of. The. Sink. That's good, Fonz, easy there..."

Richie bravely unhooked Fonzie's fingers from the porcelain one by one. He imagined this was what rigor mortis felt like. Fonzie turned slowly, although livid, his eyes were filled with dejection.

"What do you know about her, Cunningham?" He demanded. "What have you been hiding from me? Better yet, what has she been hiding from me?"

Richie looked at Potsie and Ralph and they scampered over to support him and circled Fonzie. After explaining everything, they backed up. Fonzie's chest heaved and his hands clenched open and shut.

"Gimme room!" He snarled. "You better get outta here now because I'm about to go nutso!"

"Don't do anything out of anger. We have to be cool, Fonz. We don't even know if the guy Ralph saw is her old boyfriend or not. Sadie must've found out through Joanie or one of her friends."

"Well, if she was scared enough to run away and du...du...dum..."

"Dump ya." Potsie announced and Fonzie made a motion to punch him.

Richie kept him calm. "Down boy!"

"If she was scared enough to leave the Fonz...It must be him!" Fonzie sputtered.

"Hey, Rich, now that you mention it, I saw Jenny Piccolo hanging around our booth when I came in. I bet she told Joanie and Sadie overheard. That girl knows the things I do before I even do them!"

"It's always in the bathroom you hear horrible stories about yourself." Potsie mused. "It could be a total coincidence."

"I don't think so. And now she went out there with that wolf on the prowl!" Fonzie said. "So help me I'm gonna find her and..."

"All right, Fonz! Nobody breaks up with you like this and gets away with it. So heartless and cruel! She doesn't deserve you, Fonz!" Potsie cheered him on.

Fonzie's eyes blazed and he and pointed to the door. "Webber! Out!"

Ralph got the hint and shoved Potsie. "Let's go, Pots, you're not any help. Rich, we'll be at the booth. Let us know what's going on."

When they left, Fonzie grabbed Richie's collar. "Where could she go, Rich?" He shuffled around. "I have to find her before he does! It's late out there, she don't know her way around Milwaukee, she could run right into him!"

Only Richie was allowed to see the Fonz in a panicked state. Foregoing all fear of Fonzie's notorious temper, he grabbed his shoulders and shook him.

"We have to think rationally, Fonz! Look at the letter again, maybe she gave a clue."

"Right, right, the letter." He patted down his pocket and pulled out the crumpled paper. He scanned it fast. "Uhh...uhh...here's something! 'By tomorrow morning I'll be heading away from Milwaukee, but I'm not sure where I'm going.'

"Good, Fonz! Okay!" Richie paced. "She's not going back to my house, then she'd have to answer to my parents and there's the risk of running into you. She'll need a place to hide out until morning."

"Well she's not gonna sleep on the park bench, Cunningham. She has the money I gave her, if she wants out of here she'll probably go to the bus depot. I'm going there first, Rich."

"Great idea, Fonz! What can I do?"

"Check in with the big C's just to make sure she didn't change her mind! If she's not at your place, then get your keister down to the Bus depot and we'll form a search party. Bring Heckle and Jeckle with you." Fonzie decided authoritatively.