Frain settles into his home office. Flips on his laptop. Searches for his website.

After an hour, his wife wanders in. “What are you doing?”

“I’m making a comeback.”

“Don’t you have to be gone first to make a comeback?”

The author looks up from his laptop. “Haven’t you noticed—”

“I can help with that part.”

“Which part?”

She spreads a tarp across the office floor. “Step up.” She rolls the tarp under his feet.

“Umm … what are you—”

“Count to three,” she says. Then, without waiting, she takes three paces.

“I’m not going to count to—”

BANG! A .22 to the kneecap. “Now you can make your bloody comeback.”