Same As It Ever Was: A Novel

In the present timeline, Julia confirms that her mother is on the airplane and then calls Ben to tell him that Anita decided to attend his wedding. Mark overhears her on the phone. He’s annoyed that Julia didn’t ask if it was okay for Anita to stay at their home and expresses skepticism about her coming. Julia walks away angrily.

The timeline flashes back to Julia as a child in the second grade, performing in a school play. She was thrilled to see both her mother and her father, Lawrence, in the audience. After the play, her father asked if they wanted to get some ice cream. Her mother offered to cook dinner, but Lawrence said he had to get back to work that afternoon. In the car, Julia was playing a game when she pinched her father and accidentally knocked her mother in the face with her elbow. Her mother’s mood soured. Anita said Julia forgot her line in the play and there was nothing to celebrate so they should just go home.