Chapter 9

Dennis thought therapy had hit a peak of weirdness during their game of Despicable Me themed Chubby Bunny, but he had been dead wrong.

They had gotten a map with a red ‘X’ in it, a compass, and two backpacks with camping stuff. Their homework was to find the place on the map and set up a campsite there working as a team.

Dennis was growing impatient to have their problems solved, and this exercise felt like a damn waste of time.

Dennis adjusted the backpack on his shoulders and picked up his pace, catching up with Linda as they entered the forest. At first, he wanted to carry both backpacks, but it took one look at Linda to drop the idea.

During the next hours, Dennis had to set his pride aside and work with his wife as a team, using their communication and problem-solving skills to find the designated campsite. They spent over an hour trying to work out how to do it. Linda, of course, wanted to follow the rules. Dennis just wanted to set the camp in any suitable place.

“He’ll never know!” Dennis argued.

“But I will! This is not about setting a camp, but about us working together to achieve a mutual goal. We’re following the rules.”

She opened the map and studied it for a few minutes. “There is a creek that runs close to the ‘X’,” Linda said pressing a finger on the map. “The stream is not far from here, and there is a trail marked in the map. If we follow it we’ll get to our destination.”

“Okay, David Crockett, lead the way.”

Linda checked the compass and moved west.

“Was this therapy technique listed in the Yelp reviews? Maybe you didn’t scroll down far enough.”

“I didn’t scroll. A friend of Laura gave me a glowing recommendation about him.” They reached the creek and Linda checked the map again. “Are you trying to pick a fight with me?”

“Nope. We’ve had some good ones, though, haven’t we?”

“Yes, we did. I remember you got mad at me once while we were watching that movie...” Linda started to say.

“You were not watching it! You wanted me to narrate the entire film to you! ‘Who’s she?’, ‘Why did he get shot?’, ‘I thought that one was on their side?’, ‘Is that a bomb?’”

“You yelled at me, ‘Just watch the movie!’” Linda reminisced pouting.

“But you keep with your film commentary. The suspense kept being assaulted mercilessly by such interjections as, ‘Hey! Look! The cushions we’ve got.’, ‘Isn’t she the one who does that lingerie advert?’ and, then you said, ‘Oh, I’ve read about this one, he gets killed at the end.’”

Linda covered her face with her hands, and they both laughed.

“I made it up to you if I remember well,” Linda said looking into Dennis’s eyes.

“Yes, you did,” the smile on Dennis’s face got wider.

The intensity between them was building so much, Dennis was barely aware of their surroundings. There was only Linda. They gravitated closer, but she caught herself at the last moment before their bodies could touch.

They kept walking and talking and, without realizing it, they found the designated camping spot. Linda checked the map twice and exclaimed, “I think we found it,” and imitating their therapist’s voice she added, “Well done, Team Harris.”

They both laughed.

Dennis starting the process of sliding tent poles through their nylon sleeves. They worked in silence for a few minutes, which was fine for him. Silence was where he lived. But then, he took a look at Linda and he remembered she wasn’t comfortable with the lack of talking. “How is the Daycare project going?”

She blew out a breath, seeming uncertain. “It’s starting to feel crazy taking this leap. There are a lot of things I need to put together. Getting the certifications and money is on the top of my list.”