by Kristi Rose
They released hands and Reverend Parker clapped him on the back as Buck moved to wait at the door for his wife to precede him.
Reverend Parker opened his arms to give Andee a hug.
"Have faith, sis," Reverend Parker said, using the nickname he'd given her ages ago, back when she was a child and, like Buck, was at their house more than at home.
Buck held the door open for her and followed her into the small annex room. Inside, he counted three other couples. A small gasp escaped Andee and he swung his gaze to the direction she was looking and saw Kevin and Lisa Norman.
Kevin look like Buck felt. Plowed down by a truck. Kevin had certainly had far more to drink yesterday than Buck had and the pallor of his skin reflected just as much.
Reverend Parker closed the door and asked everyone to take a seat. "Let's begin with introductions and why you're here." He indicated to a couple who appeared to have many seasons together behind them. They were smiling and holding hands.
"We're Fred and Milly Brown. We've been coming to couples therapy for the last twenty years. After our kids moved out, we suddenly found ourselves alone, together. A lot. It was rough. Instead of throwing in the towel, we gave this a try. We've been coming every year since for a tune-up." Fred told the room while Milly nodded in agreement.
Buck and Andee shared a look but she quickly looked away, likely because she remembered she was mad at him. Not about to let the moment go, he leaned toward her but made it look as if he was adjusting in his seat. "Show offs," he whispered.
She pressed her lips together to hold back her laugh and gave him a slight nod to tell him she agreed.
"Hi," said a perky, young blonde sitting next to a stick of a guy. "I'm Tiffany and this is Tyler." She pointed to the stick, who waved.
"Hi," Tyler said.
"We're getting married in four months and this class was recommended before we actually tie the knot." She rubbed her knees, in nervousness or excitement. It was hard to tell.
"Yup," said Tyler, clearly bored and only there because he was told to be.
Reverend Parker pointed to the Normans.
Lisa was sitting slightly turned away from Kevin with her arms crossed. "I'm Lisa Norman. I'm married to this jackass--sorry Reverend--and I'm here because we have children, and we promised our families we would come."
Kevin nodded. "I agreed to come."
"If you don't want to be here, Kevin, don't. It'll be a waste of my time as well as yours. It's OK to leave. God won't strike you down as soon as you walk out of the building." Reverend Parker leaned against the wall, hands in his pockets.
"I wish he would," Lisa mumbled.
The reverend could stare a person down in under five seconds. His gaze was penetrating, as if God was watching from behind the same blue eyes he shared with Lorelei. He was giving that look to Lisa right now and Buck had to look away.
"Sorry again, Reverend," she mumbled.
"I know you're hurt, Lisa. But let's try to keep this aboveboard."
"Yes, sir."
Reverend indicated to Buck and Andee that it was their turn.
"You talk," Buck whispered.
"Hi. We're the Swifts. I'm Andee and this is Bucky . . . um, Buck . . . and ah . . . We're here because your daughter made us come," she said the last bit to Reverend Parker.
He tossed back his head and laughed. "So she did. She's bossy like that. But I think it might have something to do with the fight you all were having. Am I wrong?"
Buck shook his head. "No sir. We were certainly having a fight. But is that so unusual?"
"I don't know, Buck, is it? Do you and Andee always fight in public?"
Buck shook his head again. "No sir. Actually, we don't usually fight." He glanced at his wife. "Not since you taught us, back in youth group, how to wait and listen. To pause before we react."
Reverend Parker smiled. "I'm glad some things stuck from back then." Everyone in the room laughed. "If my memory serves, I believe you two were also in those classes." He looked at the Normans.
Kevin planted his elbows on his legs and buried his head in his hands, his nod barely perceivable.
"OK, let's start with a prayer and get to working on making each other happy."
Everyone bowed their heads, and Buck could see Andee's lips moving. He wondered if she was adding her own little silent prayer at the end of the group's.
"OK, first assignment is to take eight pictures. " The reverend pulled a stack of paper off the table. "I'll give each of you one of these. You're to answer the questions by using a photo. I assume you all have smartphones. I know the Browns have done this before, so I ask that they try to reach deep for more thoughtful answers." Reverend Parker walked around the room and handed out one piece of paper per person. "Do not share your list with your spouse or soon-to-be spouse."
Desperate for a lifeline, a way to ease his wife into what he hoped would be a successful journey they would share, Buck said his own prayer before opening the paper and reading the instructions.
Be creative. Use pictures, screenshots, or any other sort of image that answers these questions with only one picture. Be prepared to explain it. You have thirty minutes.
1. Where did you go on your first date?
2. Where did you go on your last date?
3. What's one thing your spouse loves more than anything?
4. What's one thing you love more than anything?
5. Where was the last place you shared a laugh?
6. What is your spouse's goal?
7. What is their dream?
8. What is your dream?
GO!
KISS ME AGAIN
CHAPTER SEVEN
Ready to escape a room heavy with confusion and uncertainty, Andee jumped up and looked around the room. Reading the word GO had prompted her fight or flight system into action. It was do-or-die time, as Buck would say, and she was torn on what to do. She should fly away and hope to avoid the issue. Maybe she could live with the missionary position the rest of her life. It wasn't that the sex was bad or anything. Oh, who was she kidding. There was nothing wrong with their missionary sex; it was the feeling of being shut out of his life that had her knees quivering. Watching him avoid his father made her scared he'd do the same to her.
Or did she fight? Truth was she couldn't live with this Buck who wasn't talking to her.
The Browns were already scrolling through their smartphones. The soon-to-be-weds looked like they were surfing Facebook, and the Normans weren't even moving.
How did Lisa feel? Did Kevin seem like a stranger to her? Or worse, did she know him so well that his betrayal cut even deeper? Did pictures only remind her of what was lost? Perhaps she didn't know him at all and that was why he'd strayed? One thing was for certain, Andee didn't know the answers and likely wouldn't even after a weekend spent with them at this event. She turned to see what Buck was doing and saw him scrolling through his photos.
"I'm going outside. I can think better out there," she whispered to him.
"Good idea." He stood and followed her out of the room. "I think I'll sit in the chapel," he said before breaking off.
"OK." She tried not to read into his actions. But her first thought was to wonder if he needed to sit in the chapel and ask for forgiveness before he delivered a lethal blow. Had what she thought was a simply a rut in their sex life really been the indicator of something far worse? Did he regret not sowing his oats more? Had his taste changed so that he no longer preferred girls like her? What if he now found their easy and predictable life mundane and boring? What if he was ready to upgrade?
She sat on the concrete stairs of the church, shivered, and slowly sucked in air, trying to steady her racing heart and not think the worst was about to descend upon her. Wasn't it a good thing that her husband wanted to chill out and binge-watch TV with her? That he loved to make these marathons themed to align with the show? Just a couple of weeks ago, he'd only spoken to her i
n a British accent for three solid days while they'd marathon-watched Sherlock. Andee wanted to slap herself upside the head. She'd thought it was fun and cute and quirky, but was it really a sign of doom for their relationship? Were they more roommates than lovers?
Andee glanced at her car. Could she get away with running? With a bone-weary sigh, she unfolded the paper and got down to the business of answering the questions. A couple of the searches for items made her laugh and remember moments such as when they went fishing and she caught a bigger fish. Or when they dressed up like Hans Solo and Princess Leia for Halloween, which also hadn't resulted in any wild sex afterward as Bucky got sick off Jello shots.
Now she saw his avoiding sex as a symptom of something much deeper and not knowing what flared her anger. When had they stopped talking? She scrolled past a picture of her ideal vacation home, a screenshot she'd not only put on her phone but on their fridge and in the encouraging emails she'd sent him about staying focused. Was it around the time she became single focused on a stupid house?
Andee shook her head, hating where her thoughts were going. Weren't they stronger than that? Could a house be the root of their problems? A terse laugh escaped her. She could guess and worry and plot a quick get-away but none of these would answer the bigger question. Nothing but facing him with an empty agenda and a willingness to hear. She glanced at her watch and stood up to go inside. Now, if she could only put her new determination into practice.
The last one to enter the room, Andee pulled the door closed behind her. Buck looked up from his phone and gave her a sweet smile.
Don't read into it!
"All right. We'll let the Browns go first since they are old hats at this. Fred, Milly." Reverend Parker gestured toward them. Fred stood and faced his wife.
"I tried to come up with something different from last time, but I'm afraid only the last date and last laugh changed. Oh, and the thing you love the most. I was going to put your new sewing machine, but I think the grandkids trump that."
Fred and Milly laughed together as they stared at each other, and Andee wanted to barf or cry. She wasn't sure which was the stronger reaction.
Milly's was much like Fred's, and Andee decided she wanted to cry. She'd give her right arm to be like them after one million years of marriage.
"Andee, Buck. You're up next."
"I'll go first," Andee said and stood. She might look like a fool after he went, but at least the gossipmongers would know that she'd given it her all.
"Why don't we try it a different way? Why don't you go at the same time?" Reverend Parker offered.
Andee looked at Buck, who nodded and stood so they faced each other.
With a deep breath to draw in courage, she said, "I'll start. My number one was where we went on our first date." She found the picture on her screen and turned it so Buck could see. "This is a picture of us at a Buc's game, last year. We took one of my nephews and a girl he's interested in. Our first date was at a Buc's game. I went with you and your family," she explained to the group while looking at Buck.
Bucky showed her his phone. He had the same picture. "I remember. I had to ask your dad for permission and promise that my folks were going. Taking your nephew and his girl reminded me of when we went. It was a good day. Both times."
They smiled at each other. Andee wanted to touch him. Any part of him, his arm or whatever. For just a moment, the connection between them felt strong, and she wanted to hold on to it.
"Why don't you go next, Buck," said Revered Parker.
Buck looked around the room. "Bear with me. I had to improvise here. My number two was our last date. This is the web site of the furniture store where we bought our couch, and this is our couch. Our last date was last week when we stayed home and watched Mad Men."
Andee guffawed. "That's not a date. That's what we do all the time."
"Not all the time. Sometimes we just watch TV, but these times are different."
Andee shrugged. She wasn't so sure she agreed.
"How so?" asked Lisa Norman. She put her hand up in defense. "I'm not trying to challenge you. I'm just curious as to what makes it a date and not just watching TV."
Buck looked at Andee with pleading eyes, but she returned his gaze with a questioning one.
Buck sighed. "Oh, all right. Because we really get into it--make food from that region or time, talk with accents or whatever. It's an event. Not just channel surfing."
"Wow, you need to turn in your man card," said Kevin bitterly.
"Really? I'd like to stack my behavior next to yours and see which one of us hasn't been acting like a man. You up for that?" Buck challenged with a square of his shoulders.
"All right. Settle down. This is a good time to remind everyone that what is said here stays here. Everything here is confidential and should be treated with respect and courtesy. Or God will smite you." Reverend Parker smiled. "OK. That part might not be entirely true. But you never know." He winked at Andee. "Your turn, sis."
Andee held up her phone. "This is a picture of Texas Cattle Company. We went there for dinner a few weeks ago. That's what I picked for our last date."
Buck leaned toward her in disbelief. "That wasn't a date. That was an obligatory dinner with my folks so my dad could talk down to me even more."
"But we dressed up and went out. Remember, we went to the movies afterward."
"Because I was in such a bad mood. I didn't want to go home and fight with you because my pain-in-the-ass dad makes me want to punch a wall. Time in the theater gave me a chance to cool off."
Andee stepped back and searched his face. How had she missed that? How had she not known how upset he was? She was so used to his father and his autocratic ways, she'd just assumed he was as well.
"I'm sorry. I should've paid better attention."
"It's just that lately he's been getting to me more and more." This time Bucky extended his hand, tucking hers in his. "If we were to go on a date out in public, I sure wouldn't include my dad."
"Why are you two here?" Lisa asked them, her voice thick with annoyance.
"Because people can forget how to communicate, and they can forget how to listen. Because sometimes fear of change makes people act . . . unusual. I suspect there's change on the horizon for them," the reverend answered. "Next question."
Andee reached forward and took off Buck's ball cap. "Number three is his favorite possession. He loves this thing more than anything. Has had it almost as long as we've been married. It's been washed and reshaped and is falling apart, but he refuses to give it up."
Buck snatched it back and put it on his head. "It fits perfectly, and I think it's beautiful. I'll get rid of it when it disintegrates in my hands and not a moment sooner. But you're wrong. This is the thing I love the most." He held up his phone and showed a picture of her and Lorelei, arms around each other, laughing. It was the night Lorelei and Cole had told them they were expecting and asked them to be godparents.
"You love Lorelei?" Andee couldn't help but ask. She knew it was silly, but the fact that he'd picked her made her knees weak.
"Yeah, but not like I love you and certainly not as much. Not that you're my possession, but I can't help but feel like you're made for me," he said with a shrug, staring into her eyes.
Andee responded by promptly bursting into tears. It felt so good to hear him say how much she meant to him. Being called a possession might be an outdated idea, but she was OK with it. Knowing this made her feel treasured and wanted.
"Then what is happening to us?" she asked him.
Buck took a step toward her, but Reverend Parker stopped him. "Let's keep on track. I think you'll have your answer soon enough. Buck, what is the thing Andee loves the most?"
He held up his phone, and the picture was of her sitting outside by a campfire with her family. "Andee loves her family the most. This includes her friends. This includes me. That means everything to me." He placed his hand over his heart as he
told the last bit to the group.
Andee continued to cry softly in her hands, pausing to take a breath when Kevin Norman tossed her a box of tissues.
"I need a moment. Can you do the next one?" she asked Buck.
"Sure. The last place we laughed is the same picture from the first question. Our couch--or rather, our house. Same night from last week."
Andee thought back to when she'd cut the arms off his T-shirt and laughed through her tears. "I'd forgotten about that time. I put the movie we watched after dinner with your parents. We laughed at the movie." Her voice raised an octave. "But your answer is so much better than mine." She grabbed another tissue and sobbed into it.
"Andee. Why don't you go next?" the reverend suggested.
She nodded, sucked in some shaky breaths, and scrolled through her phone. "My spouse's goal? I think he has a few, but I selected this. It's a shot of a twelve-point buck. He'd love to bag one of those."
Buck nodded in agreement.
"Is that your goal, Buck?" asked Reverend Parker.
"It's one of them. Sure."
"But is it your immediate goal? Is it the thing you think about all the time?" He held up his hand to stop Buck from talking. "Think about it for a second. I'll come back to your answer. Why don't you show us what you said was Andee's goal."
"OK. Well, Andee's easy as she has her goals outline by decades. Her goal for ten years is to buy a vacation home, in twenty years is to retire early, and thirty years is travel a lot." His picture was of the goal thermometer she kept on their fridge.
"What's that?" Lisa asked, leaning forward to get a closer look.
"It's my goal chart. It keeps me--I suppose us--on track."
"That's a lot of pressure," Kevin said.
"Yeah, and we all know how you handle pressure. You lose your job, and I go back to work. We switch roles and you go crazy on me. Crazy," Lisa said, pointing her finger at Kevin.
"It's hard staying home with kids all day. It's not for me." Kevin crossed his arms in defiance.