3rd Wheel

The Therapist

Candon

The night we spent was pure bliss.  I thought to myself this is how I want it to always be.  This morning we had breakfast together and tidied up together before riding together to the appointment.  We didn't do things like this before.  I began to see how disconnected we were.

We pulled up in front of an old one level ranch style house that had been converted to a few small offices with a reception area.  The receptionist greeted us and told us to go on in.  A short hispanic woman with dark brown hair pulled into a bun and bright brown eyes greeted us.

"Hello, Jaeger, Candon, and Paul. My name is Anika Daily. You can call me Ani."

I shook her hand.  "Nice to meet you, Ani."

"Thank you for seeing us," Paul mumbled.  He's not much of a morning person.

Jaeger put his bag on the floor as he sat down.  "Candon said you're lifestyle friendly?"

She smiled. "I am. I'm part of another club like the one you go to. I know Martin."

I smiled as Paul visibly relaxed and sank back in his seat. He knew Martin and trusted him.  Jaeger gave his hand a squeeze.

I sat on the leather sofa.  "As I said on the phone, Ani. We ended up in a very bad situation that almost broke us apart. We are all willing to work on our relationship and do whatever it takes to make sure something like this never happens again."

She nodded. "I understand. Well, how bout we start?"  She looked back and forth between us.

Paul shrugged.  "What do we do?"

"This is your time. You share whatever you want. My job is to listen and guide you along, challenging along the way."

We sat in silence for a while lost in our own thoughts.  I wanted to give Jay and Paul a chance to go first and get whatever off their chest.

Ani tapped her notebook.  "How bout this...what are you hoping to get out of these sessions? What is the goal?"

"To never feel like the third wheel again," Jay said quickly.

"To never hurt my lovers," Paul blurted.

I looked at both of them.  "To improve our communication skills and strengthen our relationship."  I could tell they were both touched by my words.

"Yeah," Jay nodded.

"What he said."

She nodded. "Very good. So tell me, what happened that brought you here?"

Paul and I looked at Jay. He met my gaze. "We made Jaeger feel unloved and leave home."

A frown creased her brow.  "Can you tell me specifics?"

We spilled our guts. It's a good thing she didn't have any other appointments because it took about an hour and a half for it all to get out. By the time we were finished, Paul and Jay were in tears, and she just looked at all of us like we were aliens.

"Are you sure you're in a relationship and not just friends that sometimes have sex?"

We looked at each other. What did she mean? Of course we were. Wasn't it obvious?

She leaned forward on her desk and gave us a solemn look. "I'm gonna be honest. You guys don't do anything couples or triads do."

"What do you mean?" I asked.  I was kind of offended.  

She sighed heavily as she flipped through her notepad.  "You are all living individual separate lives. Two of you work together but you don't really know what the other one does. Two of you live together but you eat and sleep separately. Your schedules don't allow for time together. Everyone has their own car and they come and go as they please and your communication is inconsistent. Most people in relationships talk daily. You guys seem to think it's ok to go weeks without communication or seeing each other. There is no real familial involvement, no connection to friends.   You have no connection."

I rubbed my hands over my face. She was right. We were like a salad. Different parts in the same space but not mixing. Paul was staring at the floor with such intensity I thought he'd burn a hole in it. Jay was wiping his eyes. Blaming himself no doubt for our situation.  We all needed to change in order for this to work.

I looked her straight in the eye. "How do we fix it?"