Tell Me Everything

With Lucy’s encouragement, Bob calls Susan to talk about Helen. Susan is relieved to hear from Bob, and she’s frustrated that Jim is behaving like “an asshole” as he navigates this health crisis. That night, Jim calls Bob to tell him the news directly. When Bob tells Jim that he already knows, Jim is relieved. Jim tells Bob that even though Helen loves Bob dearly, she doesn’t want to see people other than her kids. “And you,” Bob points out. At this, Jim’s voice begins to crack with grief.

Jim and Helen’s marriage has not always been easy. Jim had affairs, and at one point he and Helen almost split up. Later, Helen asked Jim to go on antidepressants, believing that made him easier to be around. But Helen had always been “kind” to Jim. Bob hopes that she continues to be kind to him as she dies, especially since Jim’s son Larry has never forgiven his father for these earlier chapters of marital conflict.

Before Jim hangs up, he apologizes for not telling his brother the news sooner. Jim does not understand his own reticence; “I guess because it would make it feel real to me,” he sighs. Bob thinks that Jim has never been so kind to him before. The next day, Bob recalls Jim saying that telling his brother made the news feel real—“Lucy had said that same thing.”