by Sophie Hart
Nick had called Annie earlier in the week to explain the situation and say sorry for Julia’s previous behaviour. Annie had suggested that they might like to attend one of her Saturday morning group sessions – to take the focus off the two of them, and also show Julia a lighter side of therapy – and Nick had eagerly taken up her offer. They’d arrived early and, with Nick’s prompting, Julia had made her way over to apologise to Annie.
The other couples followed suit with the introductions; there was Richard and Jennifer, Michael and Carolyn, Hardeep and Shamila, and David and Brigitte.
‘Perfect,’ Annie smiled, once everyone had spoken. ‘Now, I’d appreciate it if you kept anything that happens in here today confidential. I want this to be a safe place for people to learn in, and not have to worry that something they say might end up online, or passed round your friends as a piece of gossip.’
Once again, there were nodded agreements, and a little nervous laughter from Zoe.
‘As you’ve probably noticed, there are some strange objects set up in the room today,’ Annie continued. She’d hired the boardroom in the same building as her office – the largest space available – and pushed the table back against the wall to give them the biggest possible area to work in. At one end of the room was the semi-circle of chairs where everyone was now sitting, and directly in front of them was what appeared to be a mini obstacle course.
Miniature traffic cones had been set up in a line, followed by a low hurdle, then an exercise trampoline, a children’s paddling pool full of water, and finally a low table with a hand bell on it.
‘What we’re going to do today is an exercise in listening to your partner and placing your trust in them. I’m not going to tell you much more for now… Who’d like to go first?’
Some of the couples immediately looked away, trying not to catch Annie’s eye; it was like volunteering for PE class in school.
‘Come on, you’re all going to have a go eventually!’
Glancing round at the others, and seeing that no one seemed particularly enthusiastic, Zoe thrust her hand in the air. ‘I will!’ she exclaimed. ‘That is – we will.’
‘What did I say about you making decisions for me?’ Simon said in a stage whisper, but he got to his feet nevertheless.
Annie looked pleased, as she produced a thin black scarf from her bag. ‘Now, Simon, I’d like you to tie this over Zoe’s eyes and ensure that she can’t see.’
With a grin, Simon took the material from Annie. ‘This is familiar,’ he murmured. He looped it around Zoe’s head and she giggled delightedly.
‘Nice and tight – but make sure it’s not restricting the blood flow,’ Annie chuckled. ‘Okay, Simon, what’s going to happen is that you’re going to guide Zoe round the obstacle course using only your voice – in and out of the cones, over the hurdle, onto the trampoline where she’ll bounce three times, then avoid the water before she finally picks up the hand bell and rings it to show that you’ve finished. You need to be very clear and precise in your instructions, as Zoe is relying entirely on your voice to guide her. And Zoe, you need to listen very carefully to what Simon is telling you.’
‘There’s a first time for everything, I suppose,’ he quipped, as the others laughed. Then they all fell silent, and Simon cleared his throat, aware of everyone watching him intently. ‘Right, Zoe – can you hear me okay?’
‘I’m blindfolded, not deaf!’
‘Okay, okay,’ Simon conceded. ‘Be nice to me or I might accidentally send you into a wall.’
Annie looked at him. ‘It’s great that you have a very… ahem… playful relationship, but I need you to start the exercise now. There are a lot of couples to get through.’
‘Of course, sorry,’ Simon apologised. ‘Right, babe, take two large steps forward…’
Tentatively, Zoe did as he’d instructed.
‘Perfect, just like that. Then a small step to your right – right! That’s your left!’
‘Sorry! I always did get those two confused.’
‘Never mind, we’re back on track. Another half step forward, and then a step to your left – the opposite to last time, yeah?’
‘I know that, smart arse!’
They carried on in much the same manner – Simon guiding Zoe round the course with lots of good-humoured banter between them. When Zoe eventually picked up the hand bell and triumphantly rang it, the watching group burst into spontaneous applause. Zoe pulled off her blindfold with a huge grin, before running straight to Simon who scooped her up in a cuddle.
‘Well done, babe,’ he congratulated her, bending down for an impulsive kiss.
‘Great job, you two,’ Annie enthused, as they went back to take their seats. ‘Do the rest of you have any observations on how that went?’
‘You clearly have a great relationship,’ Michael spoke up. ‘In fact, I’m not sure what you’re doing here,’ he joked. ‘You worked very well together, and you weren’t afraid to challenge each other.’
‘But it was all done with good humour,’ Shamila chimed in. ‘There was never any frustration or bad temper.’
‘I completely agree,’ nodded Annie. ‘The two of you worked wonderfully together, and any problems that you did encounter – like the hurdle, Zoe – you managed to overcome together. Who’d like to go next?’
Richard and Jennifer put their hands up. This time, Richard was blindfolded, and Jennifer guided him round the course. Despite Richard knocking over one of the traffic cones, and almost losing his temper at the trampoline, they made it round without incident – albeit more slowly than Zoe and Simon.
Next came Nick and Julia’s turn. Julia reluctantly agreed to be blindfolded, as Nick gave the instructions. They immediately got off to a bad start when Julia tripped over one of the cones and almost sprained her ankle.
‘I told you not to go that way!’ Nick snapped, as Julia angrily pulled off the blindfold and sat on the floor, massaging her foot.
‘You were shouting left,’ Julia insisted. ‘So I went left.’
‘I said forward and then left, not left straight away!’
‘This whole thing’s bloody stupid anyway. I don’t know why I agreed to come back.’ Julia looked close to tears, and Annie stepped in.
‘How’s your ankle, Julia? Do you think you can walk on it?’
‘I’ll live,’ Julia muttered sourly.
‘Why don’t you two go and sit back down,’ Annie suggested. ‘And someone else can have a turn. If you feel up to it later, you can try again at the end.’
‘It’s fine,’ Julia snapped, shooting Nick a dirty look as she stood up once again. ‘We’ll carry on.’
‘Why don’t we swap over, and you can direct me?’ Nick suggested. He looked furious at the way Julia was behaving, but evidently didn’t want to make a scene in front of everyone.
‘Fine.’
Julia took a seat, while Annie helped Nick to tie the scarf around his head. Julia’s directions were short and terse:
‘Forward. Left. Left. Forward. Right – no, not that far!’
Nick was white-lipped and livid as he made his way around the course as quickly as possible. When he rang the hand bell, there was no clapping. He tugged off the blindfold and stormed back to his seat, folding his arms across his chest. He and Julia didn’t make eye contact, sitting with their bodies turned away from one other.
This time, Annie didn’t ask for comments from the other couples. It was heartbreakingly obvious that Nick and Julia’s relationship was not in a good place, and Annie desperately wanted to speak to the two of them on their own. She hoped that they would come back for another individual session with her; she really thought she could help them, but it was going to take a lot of work.
Michael and Carolyn went next, followed by Hardeep and Shamila. Last up were David and Brigitte, who were utterly hilarious as they took on the makeshift obstacle course and had everyone laughing, easing the tension that had existed ever since Nick and Julia’s turn. By the end, the g
roup were in hysterics at David’s refusal to get off the trampoline as he was enjoying it so much, before Brigitte deliberately led him dangerously close to the paddling pool, claiming that he needed a bath.
Just as David finished the course to a chorus of cheers and wolf-whistles, there was a sharp rap on the door, which made everyone jump. Annie hurried over, and opened it to find Jamie standing there. As it was the weekend, he was dressed casually in jeans and a polo shirt, sandy-coloured stubble peppering his jaw line.
‘Annie!’ he exclaimed, a grin breaking out across his face as he saw her. ‘I wondered who was making all the noise.’
‘I’m so sorry,’ she apologised, looking horrified. ‘I didn’t realise anyone else was in the building. It’s usually deserted on a Saturday.’
Jamie smiled ruefully. ‘Too much work, I’m afraid. I’ve had to come in today to get on with some things.’
‘And you could hear us in your office?’ Annie marvelled, knowing that Jamie’s cubicle was at the other end of the building.
‘Nah, I was just taking a break, and went for a walk round to stretch my legs. Then I heard all this going on.’
‘Well, we’ll try and keep it down,’ Annie assured him. ‘We’ve almost finished anyway.’
Zoe, who had been watching the exchange with interest, called out, ‘Annie, why don’t you have a go at the course?’
Annie looked startled. ‘Me? No, I don’t think so…’
‘You could have a go with your friend,’ Jennifer smirked, nodding at Jamie. ‘If he’s taking a break.’
‘What’s that?’ Jamie looked interested, stepping fully into the room to hear what Zoe and Jennifer were saying.
‘We’ve been doing an exercise,’ Annie explained, starting to feel increasingly trapped. ‘Focusing on listening and communication. It’s an obstacle course, as you can see,’ she said, waving her hand at the peculiar mix of items behind her. ‘And one person does it blindfolded, while the other guides them. But it’s meant for couples, so…’
‘I don’t mind giving it a go,’ Jamie shrugged easily. ‘If you want to test it out.’
‘Go on, Annie,’ Zoe cheered.
‘Yeah, you should find out what the rest of us have been going through,’ Simon added good-naturedly.
Annie looked round at the expectant faces, conceding that they had a point; if she was making them go through all this, then maybe she should experience it too.
‘Well… I suppose so…’ she agreed reluctantly, as Brigitte grinned and passed the scarf over to Jamie.
‘What’s your name, by the way?’ Zoe spoke up, with a cheeky grin.
‘Oh, I’m Jamie,’ he smiled shyly, turning round to give the group a little wave.
‘Hi Jamie,’ came the chorus of replies.
He turned back to Annie, asking casually, ‘Do you want to be blindfolded?’
‘Sure, why not?’ Annie replied, trying to sound calm when in actual fact she was wondering what on earth she’d got herself into.
As Jamie looped the scarf around her head, she felt the warmth of his fingertips against her skin, his hands brushing lightly over her hair as he carefully tied the scarf in place.
‘So I just direct you around the course?’ he asked, and Annie felt his breath against her neck as he spoke.
She swallowed, her heart thumping in her chest. ‘That’s right.’
‘Great. Well, take two steps forward, and then a small step to the left. Hey, this is just like computer programming,’ he grinned.
‘So what does that make me?’ Annie retorted. ‘A string of code?’
‘No talking please,’ Zoe piped up. ‘Jamie, you should only be giving directions, and Annie, you need to stay quiet and listen. It’s all about the communication,’ she parodied.
Jamie smiled. ‘Okay, Annie, take another step forward…’
The room fell silent, everyone watching the two of them negotiate the obstacle course. Jamie’s voice was calm and clear, and Annie followed his instructions exactly, expertly making her way around the course in record time.
She felt a huge sense of achievement as she rang the hand bell and pulled off the blindfold to see Jamie smiling at her from across the room. The rest of the group burst into applause, before Zoe quietened them down by asking, ‘So does anyone have any comments to make?’
‘I thought the communication between the two of you was excellent,’ Simon spoke up.
‘I agree,’ added Jennifer. ‘There are clearly no problems in your relationship.’
‘In fact,’ Carolyn put in, a glint in her eye, ‘I would go so far as to say that the pair of you make an excellent couple.’
The group burst into laughter once again, as Annie felt her face flame. When she finally dared to meet Jamie’s eyes, he was grinning at her.
12
Chapter Twelve
‘Good sex is like good bridge. If you don't have a good partner, you'd better have a good hand’ – Mae West
‘Knock knock, is anyone home?’ Annie called out, as she pushed open the front door of her parents’ house and stepped into the familiar hallway, with its comforting clutter of wellington boots and walking shoes, overcoats hanging from the old-fashioned stand and golf umbrellas propped up in the corner.
Her parents lived in a beautiful detached country-cottage-style house in the pretty little town of Aylsham, around half an hour from Annie’s home. It wasn’t the house she’d grown up in – her parents had downsized after she and Holly moved out – but she loved its cosy feel, and the familiar objects from her childhood in every room.
‘Hello, boy,’ she grinned, as her parents’ dog, Romeo, an eight-year-old golden retriever, came barrelling towards her. She bent down and petted him, burying her hands in his fur, as Romeo let out an excited bark and tried to lick her face.
‘Annie, there you are!’ her mother, Pamela, exclaimed, as she came rushing through to greet her. An attractive woman in her early sixties, with a shoulder-length bob and sparkling blue eyes, Pamela was wearing a Cath Kidston apron over her clothes, and carrying a glass of rosé wine. ‘Come through, come through,’ she insisted, ushering Annie into the kitchen. ‘Holly and Greg are already here.’
‘Mmm, it smells delicious,’ Annie commented, as she was hit by the mouth-watering aroma of her mother’s Sunday lunch.
‘Well, I’ll be dishing up in ten minutes, so help yourself to a glass of wine.’
‘Annie, lovely to see you,’ her father, Graham, cried, getting up from the bar stool he was sitting on and coming across to give her a hug. At seventy-one, he was almost a decade older than her mother, and Annie couldn’t help but notice the way he moved more slowly than he had the last time she’d seen him, his body stiffer, the lines on his face more pronounced.
‘You too, Dad. The garden’s looking beautiful,’ she told him, looking out of the patio doors to the well-kept back garden beyond. The spring flowers were in full bloom, tubs of daffodils and tulips providing a riot of colour, whilst the borders were dotted with snowdrops and crocuses.
‘We had a few plants killed off by that late frost, but everything seems to be blooming now,’ Graham replied.
‘Hey sis, I thought I heard you,’ Holly grinned, rushing through the kitchen door and enveloping Annie in a hug. ‘I was just showing Greg the new blinds in the living room.’
‘Hi Hols. Hi Greg,’ Annie beamed, kissing her sister’s husband on the cheek. He was about the same height as her, with curly brown hair, and today he was wearing smart trousers and a pale blue shirt. Whilst he was undoubtedly attractive, he wasn’t Annie’s type at all – fortunately! Greg and Holly had been together since they were teenagers but, if Annie was being honest, she found him a little uptight and dull. There was no doubting that he loved her sister though, and the two of them seemed just as besotted now as they did when they were first dating.
‘Can I get anyone a top up?’ Annie asked, as she grabbed a wine glass from the cupboard and pulled the rosé out of the fridge.
‘Holly?’
‘I’m on the lemonade – I’m driving.’
‘I wouldn’t mind another beer, Annie,’ Greg said, and Annie handed him and her father a bottle of Peroni.
‘How’s the classic car stuff going?’ Annie asked Greg, all too aware that she’d thrown a drink over one of his colleagues in the not-too-distant past, and anxious to make amends with him.
‘Good thanks.’ Greg brightened. ‘Would you believe that yesterday Dad and I drove all the way to Colchester just to pick up original hubcaps?’
‘Wow,’ Annie responded, not really sure how she ought to reply. ‘That’s dedication.’
‘Oh, don’t get him started, he’ll never shut up,’ Holly warned, as she affectionately cuddled up to her husband.
‘Right, sit down, everyone, the food’s on its way,’ Pamela announced, as everyone took their places around the large, wooden dining table in the conservatory. Soon there were steaming heaps of roast beef, Yorkshire pudding and vegetables slathered in gravy on the plates in front of them.
‘Can you pass me the roast potatoes, Dad?’ Annie asked, helping herself to three as he did so.
Pamela raised an eyebrow. ‘Careful, Annie, you need to watch that figure of yours.’
‘Oh, don’t be ridiculous, Mum,’ Holly defended her sister. ‘Annie’s as skinny as a rake! I wish I could eat what she eats.’
‘I’m just saying, it gets harder to keep the weight off once you’re in your thirties. Believe me, I know. And if you want the men to take an interest, then you need to stay slim and attractive.’
Annie glanced at Holly and rolled her eyes, but her mother saw the gesture.
‘I’m just saying,’ Pamela continued, spearing a forkful of spring cabbage. ‘It might seem all fine and dandy being a career woman now, but you’ve got to think about when you’re older and need someone to take care of you.’
‘I wouldn’t have thought you’d be so keen for me to settle down after what happened last time,’ Annie shot back, unable to resist.