Couples Therapy: Word Games
Therapy was a game for Andy. It wasn’t exactly a good mind set to go in with, but the problem was Andy generally thought of everything as a game. She took therapy seriously, but she also liked to play around every once and awhile. Her therapist was good though. He recognized that she wasn’t always completely serious about things. He tried to steer her back to serious topics and serious conversation, but the problem with Andy was she didn’t go anywhere she didn’t want to. He could push all he wanted, she wasn’t going until she made up her mind to go with him.
“Don’t you think it’s interesting?” He asked, looking at her from his high backed chair.
“I think a lot of things are interesting, doc.” She had her feet up on the couch again, though she had the courtesy to take off her shoes first. Her freshly painted toes wiggled occasionally, one trait she and Bobby shared, they rarely stayed still for long. “Piano, cooking, how Don Trump gets his hair like that, very interesting.”
“You have communications problem, and not just with me.”
Since he was determined to be serious, Andy looked over at him with an eyebrow raised, “What’s the punch line?”
“You complain how Bobby doesn’t talk to you, but I’m sure you don’t talk to him.”
“Jeeze, doc, you make it sound like I don’t talk to him at all.” Andy wiggled her toes, “There are just some things he doesn’t need to know.”
“And that’s not a communication issue?”
She rolled her eyes, “It’s a selective communication problem. I choose not to tell Bobby things.” And if her therapist thought he was going to hear the laundry list of things she was keeping from Bobby, he was wrong. She wanted something permanent, but Bobby wasn’t going to marry her, so she was stuck with a hovering engagement. Oh, and she was still convinced he was going to pack up and leave. Leaving was even complicated, because it could mean he walked out or it could mean he shot himself. Okay, so the department thought he was mentally stable enough to have a gun and badge, but he was only mentally stable because of pills. Pills that he had stopped taking more than once.
When she played her games, Andy always liked to have the winning hand. She was a gambler by choice, but she played with a stacked deck. This “game” with Bobby, however, was the stupidest bet she’d ever made but the prize, the pay off was too big. She wasn’t going to fold in this case, she was going to break.
“Don’t you think it’s interesting?” He asked, looking at her from his high backed chair.
“I think a lot of things are interesting, doc.” She had her feet up on the couch again, though she had the courtesy to take off her shoes first. Her freshly painted toes wiggled occasionally, one trait she and Bobby shared, they rarely stayed still for long. “Piano, cooking, how Don Trump gets his hair like that, very interesting.”
“You have communications problem, and not just with me.”
Since he was determined to be serious, Andy looked over at him with an eyebrow raised, “What’s the punch line?”
“You complain how Bobby doesn’t talk to you, but I’m sure you don’t talk to him.”
“Jeeze, doc, you make it sound like I don’t talk to him at all.” Andy wiggled her toes, “There are just some things he doesn’t need to know.”
“And that’s not a communication issue?”
She rolled her eyes, “It’s a selective communication problem. I choose not to tell Bobby things.” And if her therapist thought he was going to hear the laundry list of things she was keeping from Bobby, he was wrong. She wanted something permanent, but Bobby wasn’t going to marry her, so she was stuck with a hovering engagement. Oh, and she was still convinced he was going to pack up and leave. Leaving was even complicated, because it could mean he walked out or it could mean he shot himself. Okay, so the department thought he was mentally stable enough to have a gun and badge, but he was only mentally stable because of pills. Pills that he had stopped taking more than once.
When she played her games, Andy always liked to have the winning hand. She was a gambler by choice, but she played with a stacked deck. This “game” with Bobby, however, was the stupidest bet she’d ever made but the prize, the pay off was too big. She wasn’t going to fold in this case, she was going to break.