The Kings IV I

28

Jo

"How long has it been?"

I kept my hand wrapped around my chin. My jaw had been taut for what felt like years.

"Since?" Lena asked, crossing one leg over the other as she leaned forward.

"Since you two went out on a date."

I looked away from Mrs. Brown, shaking my head.

"It's been a long time," Lena said, nodding.

"What qualifies as a date when you're married?" I deadpanned, "I mean, dinner, a movie, what?"

Mrs. Brown tilted her head over. "It's not what you're doing. It's how you see what you're doing."

Lena bit down on her lip. "Can you explain that?"

"If you think you're just going out to dinner because you've got nothing at home, then that's not a date. On the other hand, if you think you're going out to dinner to spend time with one another, then that's a date."

I could feel Lena's eyes on me.

"So when was the last time the two of you went out to dinner, or did anything, for that fact, to spend time with one another?"

Lena began to speak but Mrs. Brown stopped her. "I want Mr. King to answer."

I looked at her, shaking my head. I shrugged as soon as I realized I couldn't come up with an answer that didn't make me look like a terrible husband.

"You can even say your honeymoon," she said, "I just need an answer."

"Our honeymoon," I responded, nodding.

She bit down on her lip, nodding. "Understood."

She stood up, placing her notepad on her desk. "Let's talk intimacy."

"This is just the first session," I said, shaking my head, "is that really necessary?"

"Are you two connecting on that level?" She asked, folding her arms over her chest.

"I-I mean, we were," Lena said, "but that was the only level we were connecting on."

"How long?" Mrs. Brown asked, and before I could answer, she stopped me. "How long has it been since you indulged in sex purely because of raw emotion and love?"

In this moment, I, Josiah King, was stumped. Lena looked over at me, shaking her head. "I don't remember."

I shook my head, looking away from her. "Is this supposed to make me feel bad for being attracted to my wife?"

"That's not the point at all, Josiah," Mrs. Brown said, her laser-like eyes cutting into my own.

I clenched my jaw, pursing my lips together.

"You two are an interesting couple," she said, folding her arms over her chest as she sat down across from us, "you're not quite like any other."

I tapped my foot, looking down at my watch. This session was almost over.

"When we first started, I thought I'd recommend a small break. I just can't recommend that now, though. And I'll tell you why, I think you two were already taking a break and you didn't even know it."

I watched Lena. She was focused on everything Mrs. Brown was saying, giving her undivided attention.

"You've got homework," Mrs. Brown said, nodding with a smile.