AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Dr. Dangerfield regarded him, mulled over his question. She didn’t typically self-disclose too much about herself with clients, but it was an appropriate question. And so she said, “No. Divorced.”
“You left him?” Isaiah asked.
Dr. Dangerfield shook her head. “No. We left each other.” And no she had no interest in expounding on that tidbit. They’d simply outgrown one another. Outside of sex, they’d had no real common ground. He’d wanted to gamble and trick his money away on luxury cars, slot machines, strippers, and cocaine.
And the husband before Taylor had been blessed with big beautiful balls and a long tongue. But he’d been cursed with an itty-bitty dick. And he came quickly. Yet that hadn’t stopped him from fucking half of Venice Beach, then coming home and bringing her gonorrhea.
She’d divorced him—quick, fast, and in a hurry, taking with her the summer home in Hawaii, along with three hundred-thousand dollars as part of her divorce settlement.
“Sometimes couples outgrow one another. Sometimes they fall out of love with one another. And other times, the blueprint of their life plan has changed and the person they’d thought they’d wanted to build a life with is no longer who they thought they were. I say all that to say, people change. Relationships change. Needs and wants and desires change. But most couples won’t talk honestly about it. Or they’re afraid of letting go.”
“So the question is, Mr. Lewis, how invested are you in your marriage at this very moment? Because right now is all that really matters.”
Isaiah shrugged. “Right now . . .” He let out a sigh. “It’s whatever. If Quandra stays, she stays. If not, I’m cool with that too.”
Dr. Dangerfield regarded him thoughtfully. “I see. So at this moment, you have very little investment in your marriage or in trying to fix what’s broken.”
Isaiah shook his head. “Man, listen. I’m tired; feel me? You don’t know what I have to put up with. Shit’s draining.”
“I can only imagine. Still, it is all by your choice,” Dr. Dangerfield pointed out. “We always have a choice in what we allow in our lives.”
“It’s not always that cut-and-dry,” he stated.
“You don’t love her, do you?” Roselle asked bluntly as he stared at Isaiah. He couldn’t relate to not wanting his wife. He wanted Brenda. He loved her. And he wanted his marriage. Fuck whatever hoes he fucked in between time. Bottom line, he wasn’t leaving her crazy ass.
Isaiah was caught off guard by Roselle’s question. And yet he felt compelled to be straight-up with him. “No, I don’t. I mean. I care about her. We’ve been through a lot of shit together. But . . . fuck.”
“But what?” Dr. Dangerfield asked.
Isaiah shook his head, more in disbelief than anything else. He was surprised at himself for openly admitting as much as he’d already shared. Most times he just pushed his thoughts to the back of his mind and drowned his feelings in work and bottles of brew, or Hennessy—or any other dark liquor that would give him the buzz he needed to cope.
“Like I said. I’m tired.” And that was the truth. He was tired of LaQuandra. Tired of Cassandra. Tired, tired, tired—of both of those crazy bitches.
“Then it’s time you reevaluate your situation,” Dr. Dangerfield said softly. “And make some changes. Being unhappy is unfair to you. And it’s unfair to your wife. Being miserable isn’t what marriage is about.”
Isaiah shook his head solemnly. She was right. But shit. He had too much time and money tied up in his marriage. They’d recently bought a new home, a bigger home—one he knew would never be filled with more kids. Something he wanted. He knew LaQuandra wouldn’t want to sell their home and she definitely wouldn’t move out, so he’d have to be okay with practically giving it to her. And he wasn’t.
“It’s obvious,” Dr. Dangerfield stated, “that there’s no real emotional investment in your marriage. Staying and being miserable only depletes the remaining balance of your emotional reserve.”
Isaiah tsked. “Man, listen. The bank is broke. I’m drained. I have nothing left to give.”
“Damn, bruh,” Roselle said, shaking his head. “That’s fucked.”
Isaiah simply nodded. There wasn’t anything else to add to that. All around, he knew he was in a fucked-up situation.
“Mr. Lewis, if there is anything else you’d like to share, the floor is still yours.”
He shook his head. “Nah, I’m good.”
“I’m available to you,” she offered. “Anytime you need to talk, to sort things out, you can reach out to me.” He nodded, appreciatively. And then Dr. Dangerfield moved on to Roselle.
“Mr. Woods, I know you’ve been very vocal about how much you love your wife . . .”
“No doubt,” Roselle said over a smile. “That’s my baby.”
Dr. Dangerfield offered a slight smile of her own. “But do you love her enough to give up your cheating? Every time you engage in a one-night stand—and your wife catches you or learns about it—you are taking away from the marriage; you are robbing your wife.”
Roselle gave her a questioning look.
