Chances Are . . .

Teddy takes a painkiller and reflects on his periodic mental health crises, comparing them to tropical storms that build and eventually pass. He rejoins his friends on the deck, where Mickey continues recounting Jacy’s story. Mickey explains that Jacy began developing symptoms of cerebellar ataxia shortly after the two fled to Canada together. Despite her deteriorating condition, she helped Mickey to form a successful Montreal band called Andy’s Revenge, and Jacy herself transformed into a bold, energetic performer onstage.

This period of success was cut short when Jacy suffered a catastrophic fall from the stage that ended her performing career. The accident left her bitter and increasingly depressed as her ataxia symptoms worsened. Following a heated argument with Mickey, Jacy disappeared without explanation and remained missing for an entire year. She eventually tracked him down in Vancouver and returned to him. He was shocked to see that she was emaciated and using a wheelchair. During their reunion, she revealed that she had taken care of her pregnancy, speaking of it in terms that suggested she had terminated it.

The day after their reunion, Jacy died in a fatal fall from a flight of stairs. Mickey confesses to his friends that he carries deep shame about his draft evasion, particularly the memory of hiding in a car trunk while Jacy drove him across the border.