Evvie Drake Starts Over

Waiting to speak to Dean, Eve hears him get in his truck and leave at 2:30 a.m. She guesses he has gone to the baseball park. She drives there and sees that Dean has set up flashlights pointing to the backstop. He throws baseballs across the plate. Periodically he swears because he is pleased, and sometimes he swears because the pitch is errant.

Evvie interrupts him. He resists discussing his pitching problems and what his true desires are. She points out he has talked her into discussing her husband, but he has not reciprocated by discussing his feelings with her. Evvie says, “You said you wanted to throw out our deal. You asked me about Tim, and the money, and my dad. I'm asking why you got out of bed in the middle of the night to throw baseballs at a fence and swear” (103). She decides she really would like to help him to recover his pitching abilities, if possible.

Evvie goes to see a personal counselor, Dr. Jane Talco, to get some wisdom about how she can be helpful to Dean. The counselor points out she can help people help themselves, but she cannot help Evvie help another individual.