�Boy, was he boring. No drama at all. No danger. No fights. Nothing but loving support. What a drag!� Angela shook her head and laughed sadly.

�So, just to show him, I had an affair with an old boyfriend,� Angela said, and the tears returned. �I denied everything, of course. I wanted to avoid a violent confrontation. But I did everything in my power to start one. Unbelievable. It was like I craved it. Drama was like chocolate, and it was missing from my marriage.

�Sometimes I feel like I don�t deserve to be happy, after all the crap I pulled when I was younger. Like, the rest of my life is doomed to be one big punishment for the sins of my past.� The audience murmured more expressions of support and shared experience on this point.

�My husband is a saint, though. He spoke to some friends, and they suggested he bring me to a meeting. We came the first time eight months ago. We kept coming for two months before I was ready to acknowledge I had a problem that I couldn�t control.

�This year, the holidays were totally different for me. I shopped early, I stayed on budget, I have kept up the payments on my bills so I didn�t create problems for myself. And when I showed up at the family New Year�s party, a big fight broke out among my relatives, and for once, I wasn�t in the middle of it. I felt left out. It was strange. Everything was foreign. I felt like I just stepped off a space ship to a completely different planet. I could smell the champagne, and I really craved it. I craved the feeling of belonging, even to the sick fight and the cruel words that were flying about the room. I came close, too. My husband saw me eyeing a glass of champagne. He didn�t say anything. He just looked away and gave me a second to make up my own mind. I chose to walk over and give him a big kiss and tell him how much I love him.�

The audience broke out in cheers. There were tears around the room. Diane�s cheeks were drenched. She looked at Claire, and Claire smiled back at her. Diane reached over and hugged Claire tightly, whispering in her ear, �Thank you so much. You saved my life today.�

Choking on her own tears, Claire said, �That�s what friends are for.�

At the break, Diane and Claire went back to grab some coffee. They chatted with some of Claire�s friends in the group, and Diane was feeling worry-free, light, stronger. She turned around to return to her seat, and saw a familiar figure in the corner of the lobby. The hair stood on the back of her neck, and she froze in place. From behind, she felt Claire�s arm encircle hers, and she let Claire lead her back into the meeting room.

�Was that who I think it was?� Diane whispered to Claire.