Now, finally, the moment of truth had arrived, and she was worried. What if Johnny was right and her brilliant idea degenerated into melodrama?

There was a knock at her office door.

“Come in,” she said.

Her assistant, Helen, a recent graduate of Stanford, poked her head in. “Dr. Tillman is here. He’s in the green room. I put the McAdams family in the employee lunchroom and Christy is in Ted’s office.”

“Thanks, Helen,” she said distractedly as the door closed.

She’d almost forgotten how this felt, the scary/exhilarating feeling that you might fail. The past years had given her such insulation. Now it was as if she were new again, starting out, trying something only she believed in.

She checked herself in the mirror one last time, pulled the white makeup protector away from her collar, and headed for the studio. On-stage she found Johnny doing about ten things at once, barking out orders.

“You ready?” he asked.

“Honestly? I don’t know.”

He walked over, talking into his headpiece as he neared. Pulling the mic away from his mouth, he said quietly to her alone, “You’ll be great, you know. I trust you.”

“Thanks. I needed to hear that.”

“Just be yourself. Everyone loves you.”

At his signal, the audience began streaming into the studio. Tully ducked backstage and waited for her cue. When the red lights lit up, she walked onstage.

As always, she stood there a moment, smiling, letting the strangers’ applause wash through her, fill her to overflowing.

“Today we have a very special show for you. My guest, Dr. Wesley Tillman, is a noted psychiatrist who specializes in addiction recovery and family counseling . . .”

Behind her, a huge screen played a film clip of an overweight man with thinning hair. He was trying not to cry, and losing the battle. “My wife is a good woman, Tallulah. We’ve been married for twenty years and we have two beautiful children. The problem is . . .” He paused, wiping his eyes. “Booze. It used to be just cocktail hour with friends, but lately . . .”

The clip showed the disintegration of a family in sound and images.

When it ended, Tully turned back to the audience. She could see how moved they were by the piece. Several women already looked close to tears. “Mr. McAdams is like too many of us, living lives of quiet desperation because of a loved one’s addiction. He swears that he’s tried everything to convince his wife to go into treatment and quit drinking. Today, with Dr. Tillman’s help, we’re going to try something radical. Mrs. McAdams is backstage, alone, right now. She believes she’s won a trip to the Bahamas and is here to collect it. In fact, though, her family—with Dr. Tillman’s professional help—is going to confront her about her alcoholism. Our hope is that we can force her to see the truth and seek treatment.”