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In the end, we’re left with Sarah and me setting some goals for our relationship, such as improving our communication and building trust, and Maggie reminding us that healing takes time. The big thing is that it’s important to be patient and kind to each other.
As the session ends, I feel a sense of hope and determination. I know we’ll have a long journey, but with Sarah by my side and the therapist’s guidance, I feel confident that we’ll work through our issues and build a solid and loving relationship.
I find as the therapy sessions with Sarah and the therapist progress, I start to notice small changes in myself. I’m beginning to let go of the past and my fear of getting hurt. I realize now that Sarah, Martin, and Ava are my present and my future, and I don’t want to miss out on the love and joy that they bring into my life.
I make a conscious effort to communicate better with Sarah and to express my feelings more openly. I try to listen more attentively and understand her perspective. I also make an effort to spend more quality time with my family.
Most importantly, I plan special date nights with Sarah, where we can reconnect and strengthen our bond.
With time, I notice that my trust issues are slowly dissipating, and I’m able to open up to Sarah more and more. I feel a deeper connection with her, and I know that she’s my partner in every sense of the word. I also found myself becoming a better father to Ava. I’m more patient and present with her, and I realize how much joy and happiness she brings into my life. I feel a sense of gratitude for having such a loving and beautiful family. I realize healing is a process and it takes time, patience, and effort, but I’m on the right track.
All that being said, this morning, I woke up with an exciting plan in mind. I want to take Sarah and the kids to the water park for the day. I want to make some fun family memories with them.
“Everybody up,” I say as I go through the house. “Let’s go.”
Martin pads out of his room lazily, his hair all over his head. “What’s going on, Daddy?”
“Good question,” my wife says as she rubs the sleep out of her eyes. I go into Ava’s room and gently wake her by picking her up in my arms.
“We’re going to the water park,” I tell them. “So, come on, let’s get dressed and packed and get going.”
Martin rushes off to his room to get ready and Sarah asks, “What about breakfast?”
“We’ll get something on the way. Now, come on. We’re burning daylight.”
As a family, we start getting ready for our day trip, packing sunscreen, towels, extra clothes, and Ava’s swim diapers. Sarah even thinks of packing some snacks and drinks in a cooler. Once we’re all dressed, packed and ready, we load everything into the car bound for our adventure.
We drive through town until we reach the edge and now we’re riding through a stretch of farmland. Ava keeps chirping happily at the cows and horses as we pass them by, her chubby fingers pointing out the window. Sarah’s dark hair flows in the breeze of her open window as she smiles at me, taking my hand and squeezing it. It’s going to be a great day.
When we arrive at the water park, Ava’s eyes light up the second she sees all the colorful slides and pools. Martin yells, “Daddy, look at the big one!” as he points to the giant water slide in the center of the park. “Can we go on that one? Please, Daddy?”
Sarah looks at me a little nervously and I look down at Martin. “It might be a little too big,” I say. “We’ll see, okay, champ?”
He seems a little disappointed, but he’s resigned to it. I mean, we are at a water park in the first place. “Okay,” he says with a little sigh.
We walk to the baby pool area first, where Ava can splash and play in the shallow water. Martin, being the amazing older brother that he is, holds her hand, and they kick their legs in the water together. We’re there, too, sitting on the edge and splashing our feet as the two of them play in the water.
Martin’s desire to ride the giant slide dissipates as we get a little closer to it and he can see just how big it is. At one point, he says, “Daddy, I think I want to stay on the small rides with Ava for now.” He’s a smart kid. I mean, the ride is pretty scary now that I look at it.
We mess around on the rides until around lunch, when we find the picnic area where we can sit and eat in the shade. Sarah keeps complaining about how expensive the food is and how she should have brought something for lunch other than snacks, but I just laugh. We can afford it and today isn’t about the money anyway.
And there we are, in the shade, the four of us. After Martin’s done with his hot dog, he spots a couple of children around his age playing with a frisbee. “Daddy?” he starts and I nod before he finishes. And he’s off to play with them.
Ava has fallen asleep in her mother’s arms. She’s still breastfeeding, but Sarah’s been trying to wean her off. Right now, she’s just barely hanging on to her, her eyes closed, suckling every few seconds. “This is nice,” Sarah says.
“Yeah,” I agree. “Really nice.”
“We really ought to do this more often. I mean…can we afford more days like this?”
“We can afford whatever we like,” I say with a raised eyebrow.
She just chuckles. “That’s not exactly what I mean, but…well, I’d love it if this could be a monthly or biweekly thing. I like being out here with my family.”
I see the sparkle in those blue eyes and I remember how scared she was about starting a family. Look at her now.Look at us now.
I scoot over to her and kiss Ava on the top of her head, then I kiss her gently on the lips.
“I like it, too,” I say. Then, “I love you, Sarah.”
