Summary

In “Then,” Mickey describes two decisions that she made in the past that she wishes she could reconsider. The first was when she made Kacey leave her house when she discovered her sister was using again. When Mickey first saw Kacey on the street, working as a prostitute, she called Simon. He advised her not to cut Kacey completely out of her life and suggested he talk to her. He pointed out the X tattoo and reminded her that he had been on drugs before.

For a month, Simon reported to Mickey the progress he was making with Kacey. One day, however, he called Mickey and told her that Kacey was delusional. That night Mickey went looking for her sister. When she found Kacey, Kacey cried as she stated to Mickey “He told you” (351) and apologized.

Looking back, Mickey realizes she was at...