The Marriage Counselor

3. I Like You Saying My Name

"What's up, babe?" Cody asks with one foot out the door.

Samantha swallows and steals a quick glance at the women moving around her. Better late than never, she thinks. "I would really... appreciate...  if I didn't have to go tonight."

As soon as the words leave her lips, all three women stop what they're doing. Beverly drops her brushes and turns around to look at the couple, the hair stylist releases a lock of hair from the straighter and blinks at Sam in the mirror, and the stylist has stopped in the closet doorway with two pairs of heels in her hands. She can instantly feel their annoyance.

"Come on, Sam," Cody says, now leaning against the door frame. "We've been over this. You know how important this is to me. To my family."

Her heart is pounding in her chest. She grips the edges of the chair she's sitting in. She's never quite stood up to her husband before. Put her foot down. But she's going to give it a shot tonight. "Just like marriage counseling was important to you and your family, too, right?"

The room goes dead silent.

She tries not to show her nervousness. Instead, she lifts her head, turning to look at him with a blank look, waiting.

He stares back at her. Something happens in his eyes. A spark. A moment of anger. It's brewing beneath the surface. She can tell when his jaw starts to clench. "You're really going to do this now?"

"If not now, when?"

"Sam, I told you I'm sorry, okay? I got caught up with work. You know how the market's been. Can you cut me a little slack?"

She can't help but roll her eyes at the market comment and before she can stop herself, she says, "You've been working for your dad for over 6 years now. It's the stock market, Cody! It goes all over the place. That's hardly an excuse at this point in our marriage."

"I wouldn't expect you to know anything about the stresses of my job," He approaches her chair. "What's it going to take for you to agree to go to this thing?"

She sighs. "I don't want anything. It's about the principle of it. It was your idea to do the counseling and then you leave me to do it alone. How is that going to help us?"

"Fine. Then don't go back. And I told you, it was mom's suggestion. I didn't even think we needed it. I still don't. Look at me," He takes her face into his hands and smiles with the corner of his mouth. "You're a diamond in the ruff, darlin'. How could I not be in complete bliss with you at my side?"

She searches his face; his hazel eyes and the freckles sprinkled on his cheeks and nose. It's a simple gesture holding her face like this but it still makes her skin tingle. She's always shocked at how badly she misses her husband's touch. For a brief second, she wishes it was just them in the room together. Husband and wife. "Really?" She says hopefully, feeling herself succumb to his wishes.

"Really, really," He whispers before leaning in to lightly peck her lips. This causes Beverly to slap his arm playfully. "Worth it." He says before walking backwards to the door. He points to his wife. "I'm going to have a grand old time showing you off tonight. Believe me." And with that, he disappears out the room.

It's only a second or two later that she realizes what happened and she feels like a complete idiot. She gave in way too easily. No wonder people don't respect her. She sighs and sinks back in the chair, signaling to the women they can resume what they were doing before her husband's interruption.

Henry

Friday night. Henry returns from his run with Red just before night falls. The dog pants excitedly as they bound up the steps of their mansion. It's almost an hour drive from the office but Henry actually prefers it this way. The drive gives him time to think and prepare for the day, and decompress on the way home. There's no way he could stand to live in the city; the city that never sleeps, the noises, the crowds, the streets that sometimes smell like hot trash bags. He much prefers his home in the suburbs. There's green grass and fresh air. You can see the stars at night from your backyard. He can run for miles and miles with Red and never see another human being. He doesn't even know his neighbors' names. It's his idea of peace. He doesn't get lonely out here, despite having several bedrooms in the house he hasn't figured out what to do with. All this man needs is a good book and his dog.