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Austin
Ali presses the button to record the session. The two people seated in front of her don’t care. In fact, they hardly notice. That’s how desperate they are to get laid.
Ali knows they aren’t thinking about being recorded or what the repercussions may be. They’ve signed waivers and have zero qualms about having the intimate details of their lives available in audio for any and all to hear should that audio fall into the wrong hands. Stranger things have happened.
But Ali knows what most people don’t. It’s not sex they’re looking for. It’s acceptance. And in most cases, love, although many would settle for the former.
The couple that occupies her office, Jeff and Lisa, are having issues because Lisa came home early one day from a tennis lesson to find her husband dressed up in her clothes. Now that his secret is out of the bag, Jeff wants to bring his fetish into the bedroom, something that Lisa eventually reluctantly agreed to, but a habit that she could not sustain. When she suggested her husband take his proclivities elsewhere, he did for a short stint, and came home and found his wife and children had transferred themselves permanently to the couple’s vacation home.
Jeff cannot understand why Lisa refuses to partake in his fantasies but refuses to allow them to play out elsewhere, and Lisa cannot understand why Jeff would put their relationship at risk. Eight sessions and thousands of dollars later, the couple is still at a stalemate.
When Ali brings up the issue of divorce, both Jeff and Lisa immediately shoot her down. “I just want to be accepted for who I am,” Jeff says.
“And I,” Lisa interjects, “I just want you to be who yousaidyou were. When we metandwhen we married.”
Ali closes her eyes briefly. No one wants to change, nor are they capable of budging on their positions.
“A divorce will not come cheap, either emotionally or financially,” Jeff adds.
Lisa nods. “We have young children to consider.”
“I don’t understand,” Jeff says, glancing around the sparsely decorated office. Ali isn’t sure what he’s looking at. There are no diplomas on the wall, no personal artifacts. Just a couple of fake plants, three chairs, and a small coffee table. “She was into women in college.”
Lisa’s head jerks sideways. “That wasonetime!” She throws up her hands. “And how many times do I have to tell you? I was drunk.”
Her husband shrugs and smiles smugly. It does not go unnoticed by Ali that this couple is scorekeeping. He folds his hands across his chest and glares at his wife. “So get drunk.”
“I married a man, Jeff. I want to fuck a man.”
“You are,” he scoffs.
“A man in a dress is not a man.”
Jeff has heard this before, Ali is sure of it, but he looks hurt. She can tell that he’s about to strike back or say something explicit, but he seems to consider his audience. He’s made his point, so he relents. Ali knows that Jeff is a good businessman. He’s been incredibly successful in his professional life. He knows when to retreat.
“Is it possible that you could overlook the dress, Lisa, and just see your husband?”
“Maybe if he didn’t insist on full makeup.”
“What would happen if you let go of expectations and saw Jeff for who he is, the man that you married? Can you recall the first time the two of you met?”
Lisa usually had a fast answer for everything, but not this time. She didn’t say a word. She went deep inside herself.
Ali waited.
Waves of emotion flowed across Lisa’s face. Her frustration, her anger, and, beneath that, a deep sadness were palpable in the room. “But he isn’t the man I married. He changed.”
Ali offers a sympathetic smile. “We all change.”
Lisa sat perfectly still in her chair. Ali could tell that she was testing what she said against her own logic. A verdict was imminent. “Not—” she motions toward her husband. “Not like this.”
“You’re angry. That’s understandable.” Lisa can’t argue with Ali’s assessment. She opens her mouth only to close it again, giving Ali the chance to speak. “Do you want to stay married?”
“That depends.”
“On what?”
“On whether or not I’m supposed to live with a cross-dresser for the rest of my life.”
