"...I think maybe I was wrong about whether drinking would work as an example here."

"Should I try again or do you want to tell me?"

"Sometimes when I get mad at my — well, we're not married, but we've been living together for years now — I end up hurting her, or our kids if it's the kids I'm mad at, or sometimes both. And I guess if I walked out on them I wouldn't do that anymore, but I don't think it'd be right to do that either."

"Oh no, that sounds awful in a completely different way. What tends to get you mad?"

"It's not always the same sort of thing. Last night it was — I got home from work, and the toddler had gotten into the pantry and spilled flour all over the floor, and then—" He cuts himself off.

"What would happen if... you just saw that and then turned around and left. Not forever, just a few minutes. Went for a walk."

"...That would work if I actually did it but I don't know if I'd do it."

"I suppose that's the problem with almost everything, isn't it. What would you be thinking, if you decided to try it and then it didn't happen -"

"—That I'd told the nice Songbird I'd leave and go for a walk but I didn't want to. I could want to do it the rest of the time, I just don't know if I could want to do it when it matters—"

Nod, nod. "Have you tried praying when it comes up, like, Shelyn, give me the strength to walk away now -"

"Not when it's happening. I've prayed other times, to make it stop — I can try planning to pray the next time it happens. I don't know if I'll actually do it."

"What if... we tell Her, together, right now, that She should be watching out for a prayer when this comes up. So She'll be expecting it. Already paying attention and waiting for you to turn Her way, the next time you're angry. So if you skip it She'll know."

"I guess it can't hurt to try that."

"Lady Shelyn, this man here is working on how to love his family better and he needs Your help to look Your way instead of toward his anger in those awful moments. Please stand ready to help him step back and find calm and love and resolve instead of fury, and help him remember to ask for it."

He swallows.

"Lady Shelyn, I want to stop. Please help me. And please help me decide to ask for Your help."

Laia takes one of his hands in hers and pats it. "And maybe another time - come back and bring your girlfriend? She might have an idea. She might have one already, and be afraid to mention it, and be less afraid here."

He nods. "I can ask her if she wants to come."

"I'd love to meet her. I want you to be able to love her better, and the kids too, though if they're that young probably they will have more fun drawing than brainstorming."

Nod. "We've got three. The oldest is six."

"The six year old might have an idea! We'll see when you bring them by."

He nods again. "Maybe."

"I'll be expecting you. This is a hard problem and I think it will be easier if you're active here, all of you."

Hopefully she really means that and she won't just kick him out the first time it happens again.

"I'll see you in a few days, then?"

"If that's the best time for you! It could also be tomorrow!"

"I'll see what she says."