Adam is watching me with a curious expression on his face. “I mean…”
I stare at him. “What do you mean? You’re the one who broke up with me! You can’t take that back now just because you’re dead!”
Adam holds up his hands. “Listen, I've had a lot of time to think lately, and I miss us. I think we didn’t give it a proper chance.”
I glare at him. “Don’t spring this on me now. I gave it a chance. It was you who left.”
“You’d given up way before that,” he says bluntly.
My mouth drops open, and it feels like a full minute before I can answer. When I’ve finally dragged my wits back into shape and composed myself enough to reply, Judy cuts in.
“Adam, can you tell us a little more about that? What did it look like to you when you thought Jen had given up?”
“This is ridiculous—” I begin.
Judy holds up her hand. “Hang on, Jen. I’d like to hear from Adam.”
What is going on here?
He gives me a serious look. “Well for one thing, you never wanted to have sex.”
“We had sex!”
“Once a month. If that.”
“I was tired.”
“You weren’t that tired.”
OK he’s right, but I never thought he knew it.
“Besides, I would have been happy just to eat you out.”
I flush. We’re really doing this in front of Judy? “OK, I was mad at you. It’s hard to feel like fucking someone who never even takes out the trash!” What now, Adam?
“Hmmm. I hear that you had a lot of frustrations in the relationship, Jen,” says Judy. “Did you ever talk to Adam about them?”
“Yes.”
“No,” Adam replies at the same time. “This is news to me.”
Oh my god. Was he blind as well as stupid? How did he miss all the things I used to do for him?
Judy nods like she’s uncovered an ancient hoard of treasure. “It sounds like there are things both of you could work on whether it’s in this relationship or for a future one. And I can help with that. That’s all we have time for today, but this gives us a good groundwork to build on. I’m going to send you through some observations I’ve made, and if you decide you’d like to book for a full hour, I have an appointment free next week. You can just let me know.”
I stare at the screen, too angry for words. Why have I come out of this with things to work on?
“That sounds great,” says Adam. I could slap him!
The call ends, but I’m still fuming. I stand, snatching my plate from the table. “We’re not doing therapy.”
He frowns. “But you said—”
“Forget what I said. We’re not doing therapy because we’re not a couple, and we’ll never be a couple again.” I storm to the kitchen, dump my plate in the dishwasher, and walk straight tothe bedroom and close the door. As far as I’m concerned, the conversation is over.
That chapter in my life is over and I’m never going back.
TEN
