Kath was worried. Her father’s passion for raking had
turned into the family’s leaf-clad skeleton in the closet and it did not want
to go away. He denied before the gods themselves that he had a problem but Kath
had watched him enough to know better.
It wasn’t that he’d tried to turn his mind to other
things. He’d tried to break into music but the jeering critics had driven him
back into his shell and back to the leaf piles.
Their rustling comforted him and calmed him. Surely his daughter could
understand that.
But Kath didn’t understand. Growing more and more
concerned she sought out her mother’s advice. Instead of seeing the situation
in the same light, Pam was instantly critical of Kath’s worries.
Pam had her own worries and fears to attend to these
days. Her search for the elixir of youth was going nowhere and the face in the
mirror was growing more and more impatient.
After days of constant discussion Pam finally broke down
and agreed they should have an intervention with Andrew. When he grew defensive
she and Kath took to the rakes just to show him how boring the activity
actually was. The three of them raked for hours, even as the rain came down in
sheets.
It did not go well. Pam caught fire trying to burn a pile
of leaves while Kath caught a nasty cold. Andrew lay down for a nap and slept
like an innocent. Pam was out of the intervention business. Kath was on her
own.
