irenic
or ei·ren·ic
adjective
******************************************
The man and woman entered Dr. Bekman’s office. The typical greetings were exchanged, and the couple sat on the provided chairs. Dr. Bekman sized the two up. They were both in their late 30’s, and were starting to show signs of a comfortable suburban life. She noticed that they did not look immediately hostile towards each other, which was a definite plus.
“Comfy?” She asked her clients. Both nodded. “Wonderful, then let’s jump right into it. Why don’t you tell me what the basic problem is.”
The woman, Mrs. McLien, started. “Well, I’d say it’s a matter of perspective. I see him as a lazy, self-absorbed idiot who can’t hold down a job for more than a week to save his life.”
Mr. McLien nodded. “And I see her as a shrill harpy who can’t allow any kind of fun or enjoyment in everyday life.”
“I see.” Dr. Bekman said. She bit the inside of her mouth. It would be so easy to…but no, she would not do that. She promised herself she would do this without it. Instead, she just took notes on the clipboard she had on her lap. “Please, continue. Mr. McLien, let’s start with you. Tell me everything about your wife, the good and the bad.”
“Not much good about her. But the bad I can do.”
As she listened to the man rant about every little grievance he had about his wife, Dr. Bekman fought an internal battle. She managed well enough, listening and asking questions as needed, and even taking a few notes. But inside, she was struggling to keep from using it. It would be so easy to just go in and fix the problems herself. But she had sworn not to. Not to take the easy route like she had so many times before. She would do this the proper way, and that would be longer and harder. Besides, she was billing by the hour.
“And how about you, Mrs. McLien? What do you think about your husband?”
The following rant was every bit as scathing as that delivered by Mr. Mclien. Dr. Bekman listened with the same level of attention. She would do this. She had the doctorate to show she could. She had worked damned hard for that, it was time to use it. And if she used her…eccentricities…she would never be able to prove she could get by without it. But it was just so tempting. These two had more bad things to say than good. It would only take her five minutes to go in and fix everything. All she had to do was give in and these two would leave happier and more at peace with each other than they could ever hope to otherwise. But it would also rob them of something precious that they would not even be aware of losing. No, she had to do this the proper way.
When the wife was done, Dr. Bekman looked over the notes she had taken. “Well, looks like we’ve got a lot of things to work on. But it’s good that you both got everything off your chests and in the open. That’s an important first step. I know you’ve heard this a hundred times by now, but it really is true that the first step to fixing a problem is admitting there is one. Or, in this case, giving voice to the problems you feel the other has. Now, we don’t have time to start today, but why don’t you schedule another appointment with my secretary? We can start fixing the problems then, and get back the happiness you used to have with each other.”
The couple grumbled, but reluctantly agreed. When they had left, she leaned back and let out a breath she had not been aware she had been holding. She had done it. She had gone the session without resorting to less natural methods. Without poking around in their only truly private places. And if she did it once, she could do it again with the next couple. She would do it. She would get through the entire day without breaking her promise to herself.
Then she heard it. Her next appointment. The shouting through the thick wooden door alerted her to the nature of the next couple to enter her office. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. This was going to be a long day.
***********************************
I imagine having psychic powers would open up a lot of opportunists for a person. Not all of them as nice as being a marriage councilor.
No comments:
Post a Comment