I have been seeing Mary for a long time. She doesn't drink much anymore and she hasn't been in a fight for a long time, but she is still an angry woman.
Almost two years ago I began to see another woman, Kate. Kate had led an interesting but pretty difficult life: Her mother was a drunk and her father walked out on the mother and three young children. But Kate had survived this, and several other terrible times, with humor, persistence and the hope of a decent life.
About a month ago Kate left the man she had been living with for the past fifteen years. She realized that she had spent all that time waiting on him, spending money on him, listening to his complaints about the world, and protecting him from the consequences of his own actions.
Two weeks ago Mary came in to her session roaring at me. How could I do this? Do I ruin every one's life? Who can believe that therapy does any good anyway?
It turns out that the man Kate left is Mary's brother. Mary took that as an affront to her whole family -- although she had always said that the members of her family where selfish, useless, and dishonest.
What Mary is really angry at is that she knows that Kate will have a better life. Things will still be tough for Mary, and now her brother will be looking to her to help do all those things that Kate has always done for him.
Some guys are like that.
2 comments:
What are the odds of that happening? I mean, seriously...
I don't know how you do it, therapist.
Hang in.
Just goes to prove it is a small world.
Post a Comment