Sessions Part 1 (continued)

Walking back into the office. Jordon’s wife quickly put her phone away in her purse.

“Sorry for the delay. I am sure you looked up my credentials, so you do not need me to go over them.  Mrs. Sandals"

"Please call me Alondra"

"This session is for both of you. It is to strengthen your marriage so…”

“We are not married,” Alondra stated.

“Pardon?” I asked as I looked at both of them.

“We are not married. We are engaged and need to work on things before moving forward. I need our foundation to be solid.” Still, she was the one doing the talking as he looked at me. What am I not seeing?

I looked at them both, and I sensed something was not right.

“All right, starting a marriage with therapy is perfectly healthy. To be completely transparent, this will be recorded, and I will be taking notes. Would you like to tell me what you need to work on?” I asked her first since she seemed to be talking, and Jordan stayed silent.

“Jordan ignores me. I could be talking about…” her voice trailed off as I thought.
It has been years, but he has a knack for being overly attentive. This is not normal, or my memory is distorted.

“I’m good. I am tentative about his needs. His every need. I am with him when he needs me to be.”

“Why don’t you tell me about how you two met? That can help us move forward, " I said as I picked up a notepad and started scribbling down my thoughts.

She looked at her hands and said, “I came on to him at an engagement party.”

I looked at her without judgment. I have learned to give nothing away in facial expressions.
“It was at my engagement party.”

Did she say her engagement party?

“I was not sure I was with the right guy, but I saw Jordan, and everything clicked. He is tall with a nice frame and a gentleman. He said that I offered to go down on my knees at the party, but I do not remember that.”

Jordon was covering his eyes at this point. As I listened to her go on, I watched more than I heard. Their body language said that this was a last effort or it would be the end. Jordan seemed to want reassurance by the way he kept raising an eyebrow at certain comments she made.

Alondra kept him at a forearm distance and tended to want to move further away. I needed to end this early.

“Mr.? I’m sorry, what would you like to be called?

“Jordan is fine.”

“Would you like to say anything?”

“Not right now, if that is all right?”

“You see, this is not all right. He knows if this does not work, then it’s over,” Alondra said, looking at me heatedly. Then her phone went off, and as if on automatic pilot, she grabbed it to look at the message. Jordan’s jaw clenched.

The hidden denominator.

“I think we should end this for the day. Stop at the desk and schedule your appointments with Connor.”

Alondra rose and stormed out without looking back. Jordan kept his eyes on me. He rose and extended his hand to shake.

“We will talk.” He said as he glanced at Alondra.

“Jordon, does she know who you are?”

He smiled, and that said it all.

The two of them are hiding in plain sight, but one is doing it better than the other.