Chapter 10

Linda shifted uncomfortably on the pillows in Yaron’s office. Dennis was sitting at her side.

“Something doesn’t feel right,” thought Linda.

The first two sessions had been cathartic. They had made progress. So why did the issues between her and her husband still feel unresolved?

“We’ve been presented with Linda’s needs,” Yaron started, “This session we will focus on what Dennis needs.” Linda’s serene expression felt frozen on her face.

She should have seen this moment coming. After all, she wasn’t the only member of this marriage. Of course, Dennis had needs as well.

“What is something that Linda does that makes you feel appreciated?” Yaron asked Dennis.

“She goes grocery shopping. She cooks. She cleans the house. She does the laundry.” Dennis shifted restlessly on the pillow. Linda couldn’t move at all. “She contributes a well-earned paycheck.”

“Okay. Houses chores, shopping, and a paycheck are a contribution to the household, which is very important, but it’s not meant to express love or appreciation specifically to you, Dennis,” Yaron explained. “Let’s talk about the food. What do you typically make, Linda?”

“Um...” she gulped hard. “I cook during the weekend and place the prepared meals in the freezer, so we can defrost them during the week.”

“So the food isn’t just for Dennis, it’s for both of you?”

“Yes,” she whispered, her pulse jumping in her wrists.

The cushions on the couch dipped as Dennis moved closer to her. “What is the point? I’m a grown man. I cook dinner for myself some days.”

“If I’m not doing that, I’m doing nothing. I’ve been doing nothing.” Linda laid her ice-cold hands on the sides of her face. “Oh my God.”

When she had first walked into the office, she’d had the upper hand, and now it was slipping. The very fact that she’d wanted to have an upper hand when they were trying to get even footing increased her discomfort.

“Linda?” Yaron prompted. “Are you okay?”

“Enough of this!” Dennis ground out, putting a protective arm around her shoulders. “You’re upsetting her. She works all day a job she hates, standing on her feet to get a paycheck because I’m not making as much money as I did working at the rig. She has been dealing with me for the last two years ... And you think she hasn’t been doing enough?”

“The way you protect Linda is a positive thing, but in this case, however, I think this is important, Dennis.” Yaron’s lips tightened. “You might need to control that protective urge for the purposes of this discussion.”

Dennis was silent for a few beats. “I don’t know if I can.”

“Try. It’s important that you’re not just giving, that you’re also receiving. In a balanced relationship, you both give and take,” Yaron leaned forward, elbows propped on the knees of his ripped jeans. “Have you considered that maybe there are reasons why this marriage hasn’t been working for you, too? And not for just Linda?”

“No, I haven’t,” he gritted. He looked at his therapist defying him to say otherwise.

“You should,” Linda whispered. “You should consider I haven’t been a good wife to you, either. I ... I don’t think I have...”

He scoffed. “Stop, Linda. Just stop this.”

“Look me in the eye for ten seconds, Dennis. The way I couldn’t do last time.” During their first session, she had seen frustration, apology, love, even need, in her husband’s eyes. She needed that reassurance right now more than she needed her next breath. “Look me in the eye and tell me you were happy in our marriage.”

Dennis took her chin in his hand and leaned close, unflinching as their gazes connected. This time, though, there was a barrier up. He was hiding. “I was ... I was ... happy.”

Linda made a sound and covered her mouth.

“If I wasn’t completely happy, Linda, it’s only because you weren’t.”

It was hard to watch her husband struggling to come to grips with his own lack of happiness, all the while desperate to reassure her.

“Dennis.” Yaron’s voice brought her husband’s head whipping around, his expression was decidedly dazed. “Let’s talk about what Linda could do, instead of what she hasn’t done. I’m going to give you a few examples of expressions of love, you tell me which one appeals to you most.”