On Mystic Lake

Annie comes to Nick and Izzy’s home every weekday and comes to dislike the weekends because she is not with them on those days. She is starting to realize that Blake is not going to come back to her, and she knows that Nick is as lonely as she is. She realizes how bad a father Blake is but also understands that part of this is her fault because she always takes care of everything for him. She gave up her own identity for him because she loved him so much. Instead of following her dreams, she stayed home to care for their family. While she accomplished her goal, she is ashamed of the choices she made and does not know what she should do now. She does not think that she is as strong as Nick.

On Saturday morning, Izzy realizes that the cherry tree she and her father planted on the day of Kathy’s funeral is still not thriving. She is so happy that her father is back, but she is afraid he will leave again, and although she tries to talk to him, she cannot. Nick tells Izzy many stories about all sorts of things even though it is hard for him to speak when she does not respond.