Page 62 of Now and Again

Mike and Amanda swapped a look and then turned back to Juliet. ‘What?’ Amanda said. ‘Why would you stop? You’re fantastic at it.’

‘I broke her,’ Mike moaned. ‘This is what I do.’

Riley looked at her father in mild horror. ‘What thehell’shappened to you?’

‘Amanda left him,’ Juliet informed her quietly.

Riley looked at Amanda. She nodded. ‘Shit,’ Riley exclaimed.

Mike began to cry. No one in the room responded for a moment, too shocked. Riley eventually said, ‘Jesus, Dad.’

‘What?’ he asked, snot bubbling.

‘You didn’t cry when gran died.’

Mike wiped his nose across the back of his very expensive sleeve. The room shuddered. It was then Juliet understood how truly at sea he was. The Mike she knew wouldn’t have done any of this. But the sleeve? He was in pure crisis.

‘Mike, are you alright?’ Amanda asked him tenderly, despite herself.

Mike, still crying heavily, said, ‘No! I’m losing it! Or I’ve already lost it. Both my daughters, my wife. I’ve lost everything.’

Riley, though she looked uncomfortable, said, ‘You haven’t lost your daughters. Not yet. But you have to do better.’

Mike managed to stop blubbing. ‘I haven’t?’

‘I mean, don’t get me wrong, you’ve been a real dick.’

‘Yeah,’ Amanda agreed.

Mike looked hopefully at his wife and daughter. He nodded. ‘I know. I have. But, I’ll… I’ll go into therapy. Today. I’ll get myself… I’ll sort it.’

Amanda started coughing. ‘You’re going totherapy?!You!’

‘Do you think there’s no point?’ Mike asked his wife.

Amanda didn’t answer. Neither did Riley. For some reason, Mike turned to Juliet. ‘Is there no point?’ he asked her.

Juliet looked at the room and then back to Mike. ‘It’s not for me to say.’

Mike began to cry fresh tears. Juliet, despite how much she resented what was happening, knew what she had to do. She went to Mike and put a hand on his shoulder, deciding for him, if that’s what she had to do. ‘I think if you want to change, you will.’

Riley nodded slowly. ‘Maybe she’s right. If you want it, maybe you can. Maybe change can happen.’

Everyone looked at Amanda to see what she thought. She nodded. ‘Yeah. You have to want it. But I think it’s possible.’ Mike dried his eyes, new hope in them. Amanda added quickly. ‘That doesn’t mean anything for you and me, necessarily. But maybe we could talk. In a few months.’

Mike nodded like an energetic puppy. ‘That’s great, that’s… that’s all I need. Just to know there’s a chance.’

‘I’m not promising anything,’ Amanda said sternly.

‘I understand,’ Mike said.

Amanda looked from her husband, from Riley to Juliet, took a sip of tea, and put the cup on the table. ‘Right, we need to leave, Mike.’

Mike, wiping up his soggy face, said, ‘What?’

Amanda was on her feet, getting Mike on his, shoving him toward the door. ‘I haven’t finished my tea…’ he said as he was bundled out of the house. The door closed and then opened. Amanda’s face reappeared. ‘Thanks, Juliet. I haven’t given up on getting you back, just so you know. I don’t think anyone in this family has.’ The door closed again.

Juliet frowned at the closed door, confused. She looked back to Riley, the last of the Powell clan left. ‘What did that mean?’

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