I sat on the couch alone. I was cursing myself for ever bringing this issue up. It seemed almost certain that I had blown it. I went to the kitchen and grabbed a beer. I headed back to the living room and wished I could have gone back 10 minutes and said nothing.

I sat watching TV for an hour before I heard some movement upstairs. I heard light footsteps on the stairs. Mom pushed the door open gently and stepped inside. Her eyes looked a little glazed. I remembered that she had taken the wine with her. It looked as though she had polished it off.

"Jonathan, we need...