Betty studies her friend, concern etched in her eyes, the silence stretching as she waits for news. Angie smooths her skirt, glancing down at her hands before meeting Betty’s gaze. "Tell me," Betty inquires, her tone gentle but probing, "What's this I hear that your marriage with William was on the rocks?" "I guess I should have seen it coming," Angie replies, her voice tinged with sadness. "William had ignored his hair graying for several years, and suddenly he had his hair styled and dyed jet black. I asked why, and William said 'It's time for a change.' And for years, William dressed casually, but suddenly he was buying stylish clothes in an effort to look younger. I asked why, and William said, 'It's time for a change.'"

"William also never bought a car more expensive than a Honda Civic," Angie continues, her words gathering momentum. "Yet one day, he pulls up in a Dodge Viper and says it's for his own personal use. I ask why, and William said, 'It's time for a change.' And William exercised so little that he dreaded getting up to switch the channel on the TV, yet he suddenly purchased exercise and jogging clothes and excused himself each evening to go to a health club. I asked why, and William said, 'It's time for a change.'" Betty leans in, her brows furrowed, absorbing the bewildering transformation of Angie’s husband.

"And then four months ago, William announces that he wanted a divorce so he could marry his 24-year-old secretary, whom he had been seeing regularly for a year," Angie sighs, her voice trembling. "I asked him why, and William said, 'It's time for a change.'" "So did you get a good divorce attorney?" Betty asks, hesitantly, her empathy clear in her tone. "No, I couldn't afford one. William had bled our savings account dry," Angie notes quietly, a bitter edge to her words. "So I instead went to Zelda. She's not a lawyer; and she has a strange office decorated with burning candles, pentagrams and straw dolls in a storefront off the downtown area."

"But what did she do to show William the error of his way?" Betty asks, voice barely above a whisper. Angie doesn’t answer directly, a knowing smile flickering at the corners of her mouth. She pushes herself up from the chair, smoothing her dress as she moves purposefully toward the bedroom.

Angie gently picks up the baby, inspecting his diaper with a practiced hand. Her face puckers in mock dismay as she detects the need for a change. "William," Angie says with a mischievous glint in her eye, "It's time for a change." The room fills with the soft, comforting sounds of a mother tending her child, while the irony of her words hangs in the air.

Betty exchanges a look with Angie, both women finding solace in each other's company. "You know," Betty says softly, "sometimes change is exactly what we need." "And sometimes," Angie replies, rocking the baby gently, "it’s exactly what they deserve."