The Good Listener Page 3

  “I guess you’re right.”

  “I’m sure that I am.”

  Joel didn’t bother to continue the conversation.

  Instead he turned up the radio and left me to continue my thoughts of Mr. Griffin in silence.

  I wanted to know his problem so badly that it even crossed my mind to have Summer keep calling him until he finally answered.

  I just wanted to fix him.

  I was dying to know what kind of problems he had.

  But if he didn’t want to come in, I guess the best thing was to leave well enough alone.

  Arriving home and walking into our front door, I smiled.

  I looked at Joel suspiciously.

  “Who did this for you?”

  “China.”

  China was Joel’s cousin, but they were a little closer than that since his parents practically raised her after her parents died in a plane crash.

  And she was also my best friend.

  Summer and I were close, but I think simply the years that China and I had been around each other gave her the top position.

  If there was anyone that I trusted, it was her.

  No one else knew all of my secrets; not my husband, not Summer, but China did.

  And I knew all of hers.

  Of course, I’d met her through Joel, but we seemed to click instantly.

  Our friendship also came in handy when it came to my marriage. For some reason, she had a way of getting through to Joel when he wouldn’t listen to me.

  Joel was one of nine brothers, and they could give him advice all day long, but when China said it, he actually listened.

  I looked around at the flowers, balloons and candles that filled the room.

  The flames from the candles danced alluringly all over the vanilla colored walls, and I couldn’t remember the last time that Joel had done something romantic.

  “I know I haven’t been the best husband lately. I want to take the time to say that I’m sorry. I was stressed. I won’t try to explain all that I was feeling, but I was wrong to take my frustrations out on you. I apologize. I love you. Ten years down. Forever to go.”

  “I love you too,” I said back to him.

  The words sounded foreign coming out of my mouth since I hadn’t uttered them in a while.

  Joel hesitated, but finally he kissed me and my knees buckled.

  His kiss said that he was sorry.

  His kiss said that he missed me.

  That he missed us.

  The swift motions of his tongue inside of my mouth gave me butterflies.

  It didn’t take long for me to become aroused and I was hoping that we were headed for the bedroom.

  Better yet, who needed a bed when we had plenty of floor?

  But asking for him to be spontaneous might be pushing my luck.

  It seemed like forever before we both came up for air and I felt as though I could barely breathe.

  Eagerly, I awaited my husband’s next move.

  Joel undressed me with his eyes, and I deemed it only right to make his thoughts, his reality.

  We helped each other undress and just before he could enter me, the alarmed screamed, shattering the moment.

  Joel headed to the alarm to put in the code and suggested that maybe I had been right when I’d said that motion detectors were a bit much. But I could have cared less about the alarm at the moment. I only hoped that he still wanted me, because I wanted him more than anything in the world.

  Luckily, he did.

  For over an hour we rolled around on the living room floor as though we were experiencing each other for the very first time. We soaked the carpet underneath us and in unison, we exploded in pure ecstasy. For the first time, in such a long time, everything was just right.

  Everything was perfect.

  Even if it was just for one night…

  ~***~

  “He’s back. That guy. Mr. Griffin. What do you want me to do? He says that it’s important.”

  I told Summer to send him on back. I was interested in what he had to say.

  He walked in, and instinctively I admired his attire. The whole suit and bow tie look complimented his body structure and his broad shoulders perfectly.

  He was very appealing to the eye, and I was sure that he had women falling at his feet. But his stellar appearance and designer suits didn’t have me fooled.

  “So, we meet again.”

  “That we do.”

  He studied me.

  It was as though he was changing his mind.

  “You acted as though we’d never met.”

  “I figured it was the best approach.”

  “Why?”

  He didn’t respond.

  “Did you know that Joel was my husband? Before coming by my office the first time?”

  I asked him, passing all of the causalities.

  “Honestly, that’s the only reason I hired him; because he is your husband.”

  What?

  I didn’t like the sound of that.

  “I’m going to need for you to clarify that statement if you don’t mind.”

  “I’m in need of your help, so I figured that I might as well return the favor; so I hired him.”

  “Why?”

  “Why what Hannah?”

  The way that he said my name gave me chills, and not in the way that I normally got them. In a creepy, unexplainable way but I continued with the conversation.

  “Dr. Lewis will do just fine.”

  “I like Hannah better.”

  Hmm…

  “Why did you feel the need to help my husband?”

  “That’s neither here nor there. I’m here now because I’m ready for you to help me.”

  “I tried reaching out to you, but when you didn’t respond, I filled the slot. I have a lot of patients. Maybe I could refer you to one of my colleagues.”

  “No. Only you can help me.”

  “Why?”

  “From what I hear, you’re the best. Am I right?”

  “So I’ve been told.”

  “And only the best can help me with my problem.”

  “But my colleagues are just as qualified and depending on why you are seeking help, one of them may be able to assist you. They may even be a better fit.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “I’m sorry. But---,”

  “I will pay you double your fee.”

  “Oh, it’s not about the money.”

  “Everything is about money.”

  “Not with me it isn’t.”

  “I can only talk to you.”

  “You don’t know that.”

  “Believe me. Yes, I do.”

  His persistence had me curious, so I logged into my computer to try to see where or if I could squeeze him in.

  The urgency in his voice told me that he really needed help, and this time, he was ready.

  So I had to figure out how to make a way.

  I’d been told that I thought that I could save the world and maybe they were right.

  But that’s what being a psychologist was all about.

  “I only have one day a week that maybe I could squeeze you; for about an hour. It’s my short day. I usually only do two patients on that day, catch up on other little things and then head out of the office to do other things that I need to do. I could spare an hour just to fit you in.”

  “That’s all that I need.”

  He stood up as I called out to Summer so that he could stop and give her all of the information that we would need from him on his way out.

  “Before you go, can I ask you something? What is it that you need help with?”

  He smiled, in a strange, devilish way, but he didn’t answer me, he simply walked away.

  I felt as though I’d just signed a deal with the Devil; a Devil wearing a very expensive suit…

  ****************************************

  Chapter Two

  “You can’t date a married man China.”

&nbs
p; “Watch me.”

  I continued to coach her as she laid on the couch in my office.

  Our friendly girl talks and her frequent office visits always led to me giving her professional advice.

  I grinned at her condemningly, knowing that she was about to say something reckless.

  “It’s not right.”

  “Says who?”

  “Says me.”

  “Why not? It’s not as bad as it seems; especially not for me. I don’t have to deal with the headache, or even the heartache because I already know what’s going on. He gets what he wants. I get what I need. And then boom, he goes back home and gives his wife everything else.”

  “You sound silly China.”

  “But I’m serious.”

  “That’s the problem. Who wants to be second best? Who wants to share?”

  “Nothing is wrong with sharing; at least I’m not always alone.”

  “Nothing is wrong with being alone. Being single isn’t a disease.”

  “That’s easy for you say. You’ve been married for a decade.”

  “And you say that as if that’s always a good thing. And you aren’t married by choice. You find something wrong with every man that you have ever been serious with.”

  China rolled her eyes, and for a split second, I smiled.

  Everyone called her my twin.

  Most people said that we looked alike, though we weren’t related.

  But I didn’t see it.

  People were simply confused because we were the same size, height, and often wore our hair very similar.

  We also had the same taste in style and often bought similar pieces of clothing.

  But we definitely didn’t look alike; at least not in the face.

  I could see how one might be confused if they saw us from behind or from a distance.

  “You’re too good to be a mistress,” I assured her.

  Sure some of my patients had been mistresses before, and though I couldn’t give them my personal thoughts, I could give those thoughts and opinions to my friend.

  I had women that destroyed love and marriages on purpose.

  If you didn’t know, fine; innocent mistake and once you find out it is expected of you to kick him to the curb.

  But when you know, from the very beginning that he’s married to another woman, and you get involved anyway, you’re asking for a whole mountain of trouble.

  And whatever came as a result of it was well deserved.

  China was playing with fire by messing with another woman’s husband, and she was surely going to get burned.

  Unless she got out before things got out of hand.

  “I don’t like talking to you. You will spoil a wet dream,” she pouted, and we headed out of my office together.

  Outside, immediately I noticed a single red rose on the hood of my car.

  “What’s this?” China picked it up and twirled the rose around in her hand.

  I looked around as she smelled it.

  “Does someone have something that they need to tell me?” China teased.

  “Nope. Maybe someone left it on the wrong car.”

  She reached the rose in my direction, but I motioned for her to keep it.

  I doubted that Joel had placed it there and considering that I’d had a stalker in the past, random unknown things just didn’t sit well with me.

  It happened a little while ago.

  Maybe a year or two.

  He was a court-ordered patient and somehow he’d developed some kind of unwanted attraction towards me. He’d started bringing me flowers and gifts, and needless to say, things got a bit out of hand. But thankfully it was all short lived.

  He ended up going to back to prison for armed robbery and was killed during a prison brawl.

  “Hello,” China blurted and snapped her fingers.

  “What are you thinking about?”

  “Nothing. I will see you later.”

  “Thank you for letting me use your car today,” she said. She borrowed my car, often, while I was at work, even though she had her own.

  I never questioned her, but I knew that it was probably for some unknown, crazy reason.

  “Welcome. And my I sure hope you decided to put gas in it this time. Behave yourself and stay away from that woman’s husband.”

  “I’ll try,” she said, but I already knew that she would. I already knew that she was probably going to take my advice.

  After all, she knew that I was right.

  I was always right.

  I drove away wondering about the flower.

  First, some random person was hanging around the building, and then now someone was leaving roses on my car.

  We definitely had to get some type of security.

  And sooner was better than later.

  I was sure of it.

  ~***~

  “What about a baby?”

  I laughed, but I soon figured out that Joel was serious.

  “Now?”

  He nodded.

  “But you haven’t been at your new job all that long. I thought that you would want to be happy, career-wise, before we took that step,” I asked him for assurance.

  We’d planned to adopt a baby years ago, or that I was going to be artificially inseminated and carry it, but we never got around to doing it.

  We’d found out right after we were married that Joel couldn’t reproduce.

  We were devastated at first because kids had always been a part of the plan. But with adoption, and modern medicine and technology, we knew that we had options.

  But as life, careers and everything else started to happen; we just never bothered to start either process.

  “I guess you’re right. I can already tell that I have made one hell of an impression, and as soon as something better becomes available within the company, I’m going to jump on it. I’m too qualified for my current position, but once I secure a top executive spot, we should start weighing our options.”

  What’s with the sudden baby fever?

  This was definitely not like him, which raised a bloody, red flag.

  “What’s going on with you?” I questioned him.

  “Nothing. I really feel like it’s time to expand our family. We are getting older, you know.”

  “No. You are getting older. I refuse to admit that I’m a day older than twenty-five,” I teased.

  “Well, Mrs. Twenty-five, plus ten, I know I can’t exactly give you a baby, per say, but do you have about five minutes that you can you spare to at least pretend that we are practicing?” Joel beamed shrewdly and getting the hint, I submitted myself to my husband.

  I was just happy that he desired me again.

  We went at it like rabbits for as long as we could before we both had to head out for work.

  Walking out before Joel, I immediately spotted another red rose on the hood of my car.

  What in the---

  First at work, and now at my home?

  I grabbed it and looked around.

  Just so happen we’d taken up the motion detectors the day before.

  We were tired of cats and other strays setting them off but maybe taking them up was a bad idea.

  Surely someone would have set them off had they come as far in the yard as they had to put the rose on my car.

  Someone was trying to get my attention, and believe me, they had it.

  Crumbling up the rose, I drove down the road and threw it out the window.

  I lit up my last cigarette before throwing the pack out too.

  I was done smoking, and since things were getting better with Joel, I didn’t really need them anymore.

  But they weren’t good enough between us to bring a baby into our recently perplexed marriage.

  I wanted to be happy about it, but outside of our personal challenges, Joel was still trying to climb the corporate ladder at his job and make a name for himself, and I didn’t want any added pressure.

  We were finally getting back into a good pla
ce, and I didn’t want anything to complicate things between us again.

  And I won’t even mention the fact that his new boss needed therapy; which I could professionally conclude that he was probably unstable, in more ways than one.

  So we had to play it smart.

  Speaking of, I was ready for my work day to begin because after rescheduling over and over again, finally, today would be the first day that I actually had a session with Joel’s boss, Mr. Griffin.

  I was ready to see what was bothering the man that appeared to have it all together.

  He had me so curious that I’d done some research on him, but there hadn't been much to find. He had been one of the top dogs of the company that he and Joel worked for a few years.

  Literally there were only maybe three people in a higher position than he was. I’d found a few other jobs connected to him before then, but they were all out of state.

  Maybe he wasn’t from here.

  I probably needed to do some kind of nationwide search on him, but I figured that most of the things that I was looking for I could just ask.

  He was an Ivy League college graduate.

  No criminal history.

  I found a photo of him, his wife and three beautiful children, but then I saw a piece that was written on him that said he was divorced. I wondered if his issues were the result of his broken marriage or if they were deeply rooted from somewhere else. I was so ready to find out that I almost canceled all of my appointments just so that I would have a completely clear head for when he arrived.

  I knew that there was so much more to his story.

  And today was the day that I found out.

  I saw my two, long time patients and after relaxing for a while, Summer buzzed my phone.

  “Mr. Griffin is here.”

  Finally!

  “Send him in.”

  I made my way to the office door to professionally greet him.

  “Hello, Mr. Griffin, come on in and have a seat.”

  “Hello, Hannah. You can call me Blake if you don’t mind.”

  “You like to be personal?”

  “This is therapy isn’t it?”

  I took a seat in front of him.

  “Right it is.”

  “And if you don’t mind, before we get started, talk to me like a person, on the same level as you. I don’t need you to be fancy. I don’t need for you to show off your knowledge, I just need for you to be effective. I have plenty of knowledge of my own.”