Marital Strife

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Ben couldn’t stop smiling. Actually, he was certain that if he did stop smiling, everything around him would burst into colourful song, like in a movie where the emotions of the characters bled into everything around them. He was elated. Floating. Lanie still wanted him, and everything was going to be fine.

“Are you sure I can’t tempt you to come back right now?” she asked, running her hands through his hair in the white arm chair where, almost four years ago, they had barely been able to keep their hands off each other when Dre had sprung them with his “surprise.”

“Oh, absolutely, you could,” he purred, enjoying her touch. “But I’ve decided I’m going to do this the proper way, Mrs. Goldberg. As wonderful as my first wedding was, I want to have the full experience this time.”

“I’m not going to change my – ”

“Yeah, yeah. But can’t I just call you that in private? I’ve just always dreamed of having a family to share my name. The twins – ” he cut off his babbling, realizing he was moving into dangerous territory. “Well, are you ready to go?”

She took his hand. “Ben. You don’t have to do that. If you want to talk about something, we should.”

He sighed, hating the way his mood tried to plummet. But he wouldn’t let it. “The girls are registered with your last name. Dre kept Tim and Susan’s name, and I wouldn’t take that from him, but…I’m the only Goldberg I know. It’s just not what I pictured. Which isn’t bad. It’s just one of those stupid little things I think about.”

“It’s not stupid, Ben.” She smiled that soft smile that he loved. “Thank you for telling me. I’ll think about what you said, okay? Can I get back to you in a few days?”

“Okay!” Instantly, he was relieved. This was going to be easy.

Pastor Bob leaned back in his chair. “So…it seems like you guys have got conflict sorted out pretty nicely. Do you know what it is you want to get out of counselling?”

He grinned at Lanie. “We did handle that quite nicely, didn’t we? We got a lot of good advice from Li – ” Once again, he automatically bit back his sentence, and once again, Lanie squeezed his hands.

“It’s okay, B,” she encouraged.

“From…Lilah,” he finished awkwardly. “She gave me some really good advice a couple of years ago when Lanie and I were having some problems. And she’s given me even more, since then.”

“She’s been a really good friend to Ben,” Lanie added. “I can’t say that I’ve quite forgiven her, yet, but I’m glad for what she’s done for him. For my family”

Pastor Bob leaned back in again, rubbing his hands. “And what about that? Do you feel any resentment? Everything with Sean, and all that?”

Lanie tapped her chin, scrutinizing the ceiling. “For a while, yes. But she lost, didn’t she? Because of her own behaviour, she’s alone, and Ben chose me. So there’s nothing left to be upset about. Every time she sees us, she’ll be reminded that she can’t just throw herself at unavailable men.”

He looked uncomfortable, and Ben didn’t blame him. Lanie could be very blunt, and when she got that look in her eye, it could intimidate even the most steadfast of men. He wondered how the gentle-hearted Pastor had managed all these years.

“Right. So about your goals…?”

“Ben says that since he counsels his youth to get premarital counseling, he should too.”

“I want to be a good role model!”

“I know, B.”

“But you guys are already married. I should know. I was there. I was the guy in the robes, remember?”

Ben rolled his eyes. “Yes, Pastor, I know. But I want the full experience.”

“Let’s just do the booklet!” Ben wasn’t sure if Lanie was impatient or excited. Or both. But her voice cut through, and at last, Pastor Bob nodded.

“Alright.

Thanks for Stopping by!

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