Thin Walls

Chapter 16

If Dr. Hopper hadn't called me back this morning, I'd have totally forgotten that I'd made this appointment. When I reminded Robin of it, he seemed even more confused than I was and frankly, I was glad he didn't remember most of our conversation. I was quite afraid I'd said something I wasn't supposed to say.

The tension between Robin and me was absolutely awful. It had been all day. We drove to Dr. Hopper's office together and not a word  was said. I wasn't sure how to start a conversation and Robin was apparently in no mood to do so, either.

"What was the reason you decided to start therapy together?" The doctor asked and it stayed silent. I didn't know how to respond and Robin was sitting beside me, evidently infuriated.

When neither of us responded, Hopper repeated the question. "She can answer. She signed us up for this," Robin said, annoyed, and I clenched my jaw.

"Okay," I started, hesitantly. "Lately, I've been feeling like I'm not heard in our relationship. Often, I try to express myself and my feelings, but I feel like they're not taken into consideration. I hoped that talking with an outsider could improve this issue."

Archie Hopper frowned and scribbled something on his notepad. I looked at Robin beside me and wanted to put my hand on his lap, but he moved his leg away.

"I don't know why you're wasting our time here, Regina," he said through gritted teeth. "This is embarrassing. We've been happy for so many years and now suddenly you decide we're not?"

"Robin, I can see you don't feel the same way about the situation. Care to explain?" Dr. Hopper asked and I was rather interested to see what Robin had to say.

"Regina and I have been happily married for three years. I know I've been inattentive once or twice, but I apologized for that and I improved myself. She somehow refuses to see that."

I didn't think I'd ever seen Robin this angry. He appeared both calm and explosive at once. I didn't really know how to handle it, so I was very glad Archie was here to help.

"Regina, you don't seem to have noticed any change in behavior. What would help you feel better in this situation?"

I looked at Robin and shrugged. "I know for a brief moment he tried and it worked, but I feel like a lot has to happen to restore the way I feel. My feelings have been invalidated and I'm not sure that's going to change."

"What kind of feelings?" Robin said, with a subtle eye roll. I could still see it, though.

"I know you don't like to talk about our sex life, but it is very importan.."

Robin stood up from the couch and started pacing around. I looked at him, confused, and wasn't quite sure whether I should continue or not. I decided to stay silent, but Robin glared angrily at me.

He rubbed his temples and groaned. "The way we have sex is.."

Robin grabbed his jacket and put it on. "I've heard enough," he said. "I need to get back to work." He left the room and slammed the door shut.

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat and glanced at Archie. He seemed oddly calm and continued writing things down. "I'm sorry about that," I apologized, after a solid ten seconds of silence. "Thank you for your time. I'll call you about potential future appointments."

"You don't have anything to say to me privately? That can help as well."

I'd already gotten off the couch and frankly, I just wanted to soak in a hot bath, with a good book and a glass of wine. I still had some work to do, but I decided to put that off until tomorrow. Even the mayor procrastinated at times.