He decided the only thing he could do is go for it and just let it come.  He dialed the number, listened to it ring and then heard "...hello?'  His stomach dropped..............

"Colby?"  "Darren, how are you?  WHERE are you?"  "Well, the tour is finally over, I'm exhausted.  How are you, Colbs?"

"I'm fine, Darren."  Silence.  "ahh, Darren, we need to talk, I think."  This didn't sound like good news.  "Sure, Colbs, what about?", Darren said, trying to be cheerful.  "Well, Darren..........."   Silence.

She took a breath.  "Darren, I think maybe we should call it quits."  Huh??  "Colby, why are you saying that?  I thought this separation would be the best thing for us.  I love you, Colby."  "I know, Darren, and I love you.  But this isn't what we thought it would be, is it?  You are an international pop star.  I am a teacher in Brisbane.  You sought the bright lights and found them.  And like it.  I don't."

He sat back and closed his eyes.  Life without Colby??  He hadn't had a life without Colby since he was 16.  "Colby, look, we have been apart a long time.  Why don't we wait on this till I come home?"  "No, Darren, I have been thinking about this all the time.  I turn on the telly and all I see is my husband.  Darren accepting this award, Darren making this speech, Darren singing at this show and benefit, adoring people everywhere."  "Colby, you didn't want to be in the front.  I made sure you were not.  I made sure I didn't talk about you and your picture appeared no where."   "I know that Darren, and I appreciate it.  Really I do.  But this life is not for me.  I am perfectly happy being a teacher here.  I wanted you to be here with me.  But you will never live in Brisbane again.  I know that now."

He just sat there with the phone in his hand, looking out the window in utter disbelief.  Well, this is shaping up to be a FINE day, eh?

"Why wouldn't I live in Brisbane?  It's my home."  He's getting pissed now.  "Come on, Darren, you are bigger than little Brisbane.  You would never be happy here now."  "Shit, Colby, of course I would be happy there.  I am FROM there and YOU are there......"  "Look, Darren, I love you.  I really do.  But I think the best thing would be for us to get a divorce and go our separate ways.  We will always be friends and close, but I don't think this marriage will work for either of us."

Well, there it was.  All laid out on the table.  Colby has moved on and it's over.  You wanted to be a star, didn't you?  Well, be careful of what you wish for.......

"Colby.  I am coming home soon.  I think we should talk in person."  "Darren, I am moving.   Your stuff is all packed."  SLAM!  Right in the face.  "What?!  You packed my stuff?  How long has it been since you decided this, Colby?"  "A while ago.  It hit me one night watching telly and you came on from Las Vegas talking to some woman about Truly Madly Deeply."  He knew what was coming.................  "you actually said you wrote it when you were completely in love and you were so innocent then and acted as if it were written about a past relationship.  That hurt, Darren.  You wrote that for me and I never dreamed everything in that song was in the past.  That's when I realized I didn't know you anymore.  I fell in love and married Darren Hayes from Brisbane.  You are now Dazza the Star to millions of people and the Darren I loved doesn't exist any longer."

He felt sick to his stomach.  He KNEW that Billboard interview would come back to haunt him.  He shouldn't have said the things he did and especially in those terms.  "Colby......I...."  "No, Darren, forget it now.  I will always love you and wish nothing but good things for you.  But I need to move on with my life."

And on it went.  Darren hung up the phone and was completely and utterly depressed and sick.  Colby.  My Colby.  Gone for good.  What have I done?  Shit, what a fool I am.  Only thinking of myself and fame.  I left her behind.  Now I am the great international pop star whose wife left him because he got too big.

Shit...............

A knock on the door brought him out of it.  He slowly walked to the door and opened it.  Daniel was standing there.  "Hey Daz, you coming down or what?"  Darren just turned and walked away.  "What's the matter?".  Darren turned around to face him, "Colby has left me".  Daniel was stunned.  He knew they were separated, but this??  "Aw, Darren, I'm sorry.  What happened?"  Darren went over the highlights with him and Daniel was left thinking it WAS partly Darren's fault.  But didn't dare say so.  "Well, look, I am here for you, you know that.  Anything you need, let me know, eh?"  Darren nodded and said he would rather stay in the room for awhile.  Dan understood and left him alone.

Now he was completely alone.  No Colby, No Jennifer.  He walked over to the window and looked out.  A tear ran down his face that he brushed away.  He needed to go downstairs and do that interview.  Can't have red eyes now.  Time to be Dazza and not let the outside world know HIS world just fell apart.