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a pool, her father jumped in and yanked her to the surface. Eventually he calmed down and told her about Esther Williams, a famous movie star and swimmer.
    The announcer was talking. “You may know Jill from her syndicated program, Recipes for Marriage . It’s heard on our station Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings at nine thirty. Welcome to the West Coast, Jill.”
    Esther Williams made breath holding a thing of beauty. Jill could do that. She was not a drowning woman in need of oxygen. She was swimming, a mermaid gliding—
    “Jill. We’re glad to have you here.”
    She nodded.
    “And all the way from Chicago.” The announcer smiled.
    “Uh, thank you.” What was the woman’s name? “Kelly! Thank you. I’m glad to be here.”
    “Folks, this is a big day for Jill. Her first book was recently released. It’s called She Said, He Heard: A Guide to Marital Discourse . And like her interview show, it’s all about healthy communication in marriage.” Kelly was a natural on the air. Clad in comfy blue jeans and a T-shirt, she spoke in to-die-for dulcet radio tones. “Right, Jill?”
    “Right.” She smiled. She could do this. Despite the early morning hour on the heels of a sleepless night on a lumpy mattress in a two-star-billed-as-three hotel, despite Jack , she could do this.
    “You’ve been married for twenty-four years?”
    “Yes.”
    “Congratulations. Obviously you have some experience in marital discourse. We are curious, Jill. Tell us, what does a typical day in the Galloway household look like?”
    A typical day? Jack’s declaration yesterday annihilated typical .
    On second thought, she could not do this.
    Gretchen, seated at the end of the table, waved her arms frantically. When Jill looked at her, she touched her Adam’s apple and glared. Talk!
    Jill glared back.
    Gretchen mouthed, Get over it.
    It was what her friend had said last night. After Jill hung up on Jack and finished an ugly crying jag, Gretchen had given an ultimatum. “You know I love you and I don’t mean to be all business and harshness, but you have a choice. Invalidate everything you’ve accomplished and give up all your dreams, or get over it. There’s nothing else you can do until Jack is ready to talk. So get over it—not forever, but for this moment in time. For the interview, the lunch, the book signing.”
    It had sounded like a plan. That was before Kelly’s question about typical days.
    Kelly was still speaking, filling up what would have become dead air if she had waited for Jill to respond. “You talk and interview guests about communicating in marriage. So what does that look like in real life?”
    Jill glanced around the small room. For her, it held all the elements of a security blanket. From the suspended microphones to the computerized control panel that looked like it belonged in the hands of a jet pilot. From the swivel seat to the big headphones that muffled the outside world and honed voices. She was okay.
    She said, “What does it look like in real life? Well, some days I just want to slug my husband.” She grinned at Kelly’s flinch. “Figuratively speaking. I see your wedding band, Kelly. How long have you been married?”
    “Four years.”
    “Bless you, child. You are just getting started. Well, a typical day in the Galloway household is basically twenty-first-century. Jack and I hit the floor running about six in the morning. By seven thirty we’re in our separate cars going our separate ways, which is a huge dilemma in today’s marriages. If we don’t carve out time for each other, we lose touch; we lose that heart-to-heart connection that most likely was the reason we married in the first place. In essence, we lose the reason to stay married.”
    “How do you and Jack carve out time for each other?”
    “In my book, I list the standard fare, such as Date Night. But the point is: how do couples communicate while on Date Night? That’s what makes Date Night work for you.” Jill jumped