Change in Zachary was neither immediate nor consistent. One day he smiled and spoke in a soft, gentle voice, insisted on clearing the dinner table for Anna and stacking the dishes in the dishwasher; or he could be found sitting on the floor playing with Sarah. Another day, he sulked, was indifferent and unresponsive to his wife and child, ignored the baby, and treated Sarina with discourtesy, not replying when she spoke to him, leaving the house without a word, and returning when he chose, regardless of the hour.

There were times when he treated Hannah with courtesy, and times when he was disputatious and hostile, arguing about every little thing, as where the saltshaker went on the kitchen counter. With Max he was reserved, cautious, and careful; their conversations hovered safely in the arena of ball games and the weather. And there were those few pleasant times when Zachary joined them in the living room after dinner and played Monopoly. When he left the room, he bade them all good night, rather than walking away without a word.

Cajoled by Sarina, Zachary agreed to be counseled by Pastor Denny. He kept the first and failed to keep the next two appointments. As the weeks passed he missed more appointments then he kept. Finally, Denny suggested that he might benefit from someone other than a pastoral counselor and gave him the names of several therapists in Asheville. Sarina found the crumpled paper on the floor near the trash can.

Disappointed and feeling that he had failed Max and Hannah, Denny visited Hannah at her office.

“Zachary rarely came to our appointments. I have terminated my relationship with him. We won’t be working together any longer. I am so sorry I was not more effective, could not be of more help.”

“I’m sorry,” Hannah said. “Don’t blame yourself, Denny. Zachary can hardly be called reliable. He’s like two people, two personalities. I often wonder who the real Zachary is.”

Denny paced Hannah’s office, his arms folded across his chest. “I couldn’t work with him, even when he showed up. How do you work with a person who stares at the wall behind you, never responds to anything you say, and never shares any information about himself, his wife, his family, nothing?”

Hannah said, “Had Zachary wanted help, I’m sure you could have helped him. Change takes work, and Zachary doesn’t want to do the work.”