* This has some similarities to Vast Differences but it is not a part of the unselfish series. It is a very loose sequel to Electric Love but even that could be separate.
Nobody could say that Captain Leland Stottlemyer was a man without faults. He had his faults and more then his fair share. Please don't misunderstand me and think he was not a good man. He was a wonderful man who loved both his family and friends very much. Communication however was NOT his strong point.
Adrian Monk also had his share of faults but communication was not a fault of his… not when it came to Trudy. Their relationship grew stronger every day even throughout the tough times and there were some tough time. He loved everything about her. He didn't always agree with her but still her took her seriously and respected her feelings. She did the same with him.
Leland's parents and grandparents used something in their marriage called DOMESTIC DISCIPLINE. For those of you who have never heard of it and I'm sure many of you never had it was a relationship where the husband was allowed to physically punish his wife for certain transgressions. It fixed the marriage between Leland's parents when they were having trouble so Leland thought maybe it would be worth trying out when he and Karen's marriage started to fail. Karen outright refused but Leland insisted they at least try it explaining that it had solved his parents' problems when they were having them.
"I love you too much to give up our relationship without a fight," he explained
Karen had stormed out of the house that night, furious with him but she never mentioned this again. Leland took it as an acceptance because when she came back in she was in a very good mood. Leland was many things but socially intelligent was not one of them. He didn't think to do anything… even discuss the guidelines with her. Instead he just decided not to bring it up again and go blindly.
Monk had never been stern with his wife though she had on 3 occasions been stern with him. The first time was when he ran under a safe, while chasing a criminal. The safe could have crushed his head and killed him. She ended up grounding him from cleaning for a week. She ended up caving after a day and a half.
The second time he had been overwhelmed and nearly literally shot himself in the foot. She had insisted that he take a vacation. He was anxious at first but he finally calmed down and enjoyed himself. He couldn't remember when the third time was but he was sure it was justified. It was the only time she had really gotten mad at him… and she didn't consult him before getting mad either.
Trudy and Karen happened to be very good friends. One day Karen was going to a protest and Trudy agreed to go with her since she knew how important it was to Karen.
"You ladies have a great time," Monk told them as he kissed his wife goodbye
"Stay out of trouble," Leland added
"I'll be home early tonight," Monk told Trudy, "and I have a surprise for you"
On the way to the protest Karen sighed.
"You two have such a great relationship," she told Trudy, "how do you do it? Your husband loves you very much"
"Your husband loves you too," Trudy replied, "he's just a little…"
"I don't know what happened to us," Karen told her friend, "it was like one day the man I knew and loved just disappeared."
"It's hard to fight with someone you love. It's heartbreaking to get mad at a person you love, but there are time when it's necessary"
"Yes and I've been furious with him for the last 12 days"
"Why? What did he do?"
"Well, I don't know if you ever heard of something called Domestic Discipline-"
"I've heard of it yes. I think it's terrible. People should never be allowed to hurt people. It's just wrong"
"Exactly. Anyway Leland decides he and I are having problems in our marriage, which we are and he decides without asking me how I felt about it that we're going to try this Domestic Discipline thing. Obviously I said NO WAY but he insisted. He treated me like my opinion didn't count. I haven't been able to forgive him"
"It sounds like you two are having some trouble with communication"
"GOD that's an understatement but it's compounded because he thinks any form of civilized communication is bogus"
"He said that!"
"He makes fun of every idea I have especially when he doesn't agree with it"
"Do you ever try to tell him how you feel," Trudy asked Karen.
"When I do," Karen said, "he just points out that he's smarter then me and I don't know what I'm talking about"
"If Adrian ever said that to me I would tell him, sharply NEVER to say that again," Trudy replied.
"Does he always take you seriously?"
"Always. He doesn't always agree with me but he always takes me seriously and I'm always right," she added half joking half serious.
Meanwhile Leland and Monk were talking
"I don't know how you control your wife," Leland said, "but you sure do a better job at it then I'm doing"
Adrian looked at Leland like he was crazy.
"I don't 'control' Trudy. She's not some sort of robot"
"Well she respects you. She listens to you. She accepts your decisions. If you say something it's what is. Karen isn't like that"
Monk looked at his friend.
"Is it pretty and nice in Leland Land," he asked, "because Trudy and I have an equal relationship. Yes she respects me but I respect her just as much. Yes when I say something it's final as long as she agrees with me-"
"So wait a minute," Leland said, "if you were to tell her 'this is the way it is' and she's says, 'no it's not' you don't insist on having the final say?"
"No! That's not a relationship. That's a dictatorship."
"But she doesn't know as much as you do," Leland argued.
"She knows more then me," Monk shot back, "because she can look beyond her eyes"
"I'm sorry… did you just say she can look beyond her eyes?"
"She can"
"If she looked beyond her eyes wouldn't she be looking into the back of her head?"
"GOD Leland you're more literal then I am," Monk said, "so what's the problem between you and Karen"
"She's mad at me," Leland explained.
"Yes I can see that," Monk replied, "but WHY is she angry with you"
"Well I wanted to try something called Domestic Discipline in the marriage. When she said no I insisted we try it anyway and she's been angry with me since"
"I'm so shocked," Monk said sarcastically, "she's angry about the fact that you have no respect for her whatsoever. Boy what is she thinking"
"Monk you don't understand," Leland protested, "Domestic Discipline saved my parents marriage. My grandparents had a very long, healthy and loving marriage and they practiced Domestic Discipline. I just don't know what else to do and I'm not willing to give up my relationship with my wife"
"Leland have you ever tried talking to her?"
"I talk to her all the time"
"You don't talk to her. You talk AT her. When was the last time you tried actually listening to her"
"It's hard for me to listen to her sometimes," Leland admitted, "her ideas are so out there"
"Out there?"
"Okay here's an example," Leland explained, "do you remember that time that you did the thing that you did for Trudy?"
"That time I did the thing I did for Trudy? I've done numerous things for Trudy countless times"
"I'm talking about the electric bracelet incident Monk"
"Do I remember it," Monk asked raising an eyebrow, "it's sort of hard to forget."
"Well Karen asked me if I would have done the same thing for her"
"What's out there about that?"
"You see Monk that's the kind of question that is unanswerable because however you answer it you'll get in trouble"
"Why would any answer get you in trouble," Monk asked confused.
"Obviously if you say you wouldn't do that, that would put you in the dog-house"
"True… which would mean the right answer would be yes"
"If the same situation happened next week would you have dealt with it the same way? It would be expected of you… at least that's the way most normal people would see it—ergo that would be setting a precedent."
"Ergo I still don't see what the big deal is," Monk replied
The big deal is there comes a time you can't always play the hero. The big deal is that when that time comes you shouldn't be expected to play the hero"
"Why are you expecting that time to come," Monk asked, "it's like you always see the worst in Karen"
"I don't," Leland said, "and it took me all day to figure out the answer."
"So what did you finally say," Monk asked
"I said that I plead the fifth"
Monk laughed.
"Good answer, but Leland you have to actually have a real conversation with Karen"
"I'm not… I'm not good at that," Leland admitted.
Monk nodded in understanding.
"I mean… I like it when I'm in control. You see how poorly I react to not being in control. It's like I have a need to be in control"
"So do I," Monk replied, "but I stifle that need and realize that not everything is able to be in my control… besides getting mad is just… EW"
"Wait a minute," Leland stopped him, "you mean to say you never got mad at Trudy?"
"I wish you could hear yourself sometimes," Monk said laughing, "that was so funny what you just said"
"I didn't realize I was telling a joke. You didn't even get mad at her last month when the incident happened?"
"The incident with the bracelet… are you forgetting I took it off her and put it on me?"
"But you still could have-"
"She didn't even do it"
"How do you know she didn't do it?"
"Simple… she said she didn't do it?"
"People don't always tell the truth you know. There's this new concept called lying"
"That's true," Monk said, "and there's an even more new concept called trusting people"
"That's the thing," Leland explained, "you don't know all the time when to trust a person. Sometimes a person says they're telling the truth and they're really lying"
"True… but there are tells. For instance when Trudy is being secretive she starts to giggle hysterically"
"Has she- has she ever gotten mad at you?"
Monk nodded.
"Twice… the first time wasn't really a big deal but I sure learned my lesson the second time"
"What did you do," Leland asked.
He couldn't picture Trudy being too hard on Monk.
"I was driving on the wrong side of the road the 2nd time. There was gravel on the right side and there wasn't gravel on the left side. Trudy pointed out that like I always say the rules are there for a reason and even if they're uncomfortable it keeps you save. Then I really got it good. She explained it was for my own good and she wasn't about to let me do something that could get me killed"
"So you guys do that sort of thing"
"It happened exactly two times in our marriage and both times we had a long conversation about it both before and after… the second time long after as I was really raw for almost a week"
"Did you resent her when she-"
"Leland it was harder on her then it was on me. She was in tears before she even started and by the end she was sobbing so bad she could hardly see straight.
Leland sighed.
"I always imagined it would be easy. I figured that…"
"It doesn't even come close to being easy," Monk told Leland, "it's not easy as the receiver and it's not easy as the giver"
"How do you know what it's like as the giver," Leland asked, "when you were never the giver?"
"Easy," Monk explained, "I know from the way that Trudy acted. The first time she was just a little upset but the second time… when she really had to crack down on me you would have thought it was her that was hurting… not me. Actually in a way I was glad she was so hard on me because I also lost my cleaning privileges for a month… but if she hadn't been so tough on me it would have been more like a year."
"You lost your cleaning privileges," Leland chuckled, "Monk only in your eyes would that be a punishment"
Monk laughed in acknowledgement of what his friend was saying
"So wait, let me get this straight… you were the one being punished and yet she was the one who was hurting"
"I was hurting too because I knew she was angry with me. It was only after she forgave me that the pain went away"
"Okay but she was hurting too?"
"Yeah… she was—it always hurts to have to be tough on a person you love but it's worse to let them destroy themselves"
Meanwhile Trudy and Karen decided to skip the protest. They thought they would just sit in the café and talk. It was a good thing they skipped the protest too.
"You actually got mad at him," Karen asked wide-eyed
"I did and it killed me to do it," Trudy responded, "but he had it coming"
"Can I ask what he did?"
"Lets see… the first time he had ran under a safe while chasing someone. I can understand that he was in a rush but you don't run under a safe. They aren't safe when you run under them. I had to hit him with a pillow… and I grounded him from cleaning for a week"
Karen stared at her friend in awe.
"What about the second time?"
"The second time was awful… it took me 11 days to forgive myself but I had to do it. He purposely drove on the wrong side of the road because there was gravel on the other side and he didn't want to get gravel in his tires"
"The man seriously has issues," Karen laughed.
"It must have been exciting," Leland said, "I mean at least somewhat?"
"For many people it would be," Monk replied, "but I've never been like most people. It was only after the 4th day when I was able to relax and enjoy the vacation"
"Where did you guys go anyway," Leland asked
"Disneyland of all places," Monk said laughing, "actually the 7 dwarves scared me a little bit"
"Why?"
"They were taller then dwarves are supposed to be," Monk explained, "plus 7 isn't an even number. I prefer 10"
"I might have guessed"
That was one of the many reasons why Monk chose not to get mad… ever. He had a specific way he thought things should be and changing that way was very hard for him. If he was going to do something it would have to measure up evenly and directly. That would take him at least 4 days to get it perfect to begin with and actually going through with it would probably take him a week if not a month. Monk also thought getting mad was, "EW… THAT'S JUST EW"
The thought had at one point occurred to him. He felt sick at the thought and immediately abandoned the idea. Monk did not handle change well… that is unless it was important to Trudy. He could remember one time in particular that he had done something because it made her more comfortable. Looking back now it was funny.
Monk had a certain order to things… the way he liked it. Some things were up front… others were in the middle… some things were in back. One day…about 11 weeks ago Trudy had 'causally' mentioned to him that it would be easier if everything was up front.
"You would have easier access to it," she explained, "and after the scare it's good to have easy access"
Monk knew that Trudy was a lot more comfortable with everything up front so despite his own comfort level he had rearranged it so that everything was up front.
It was hard for him to get used to it at first. Often he would find himself grabbing in back of him to get something only to remember it was up front. Trudy's relief however was immense and that was what made it worth it. Even with the teasing from the other guys and the correction he got from his friend when one guy escaped it was still worth it. He was finally used to it now also so that was good news.
Then there was the time she added on some new rules.
"From now on," she told him and their friends, "when you do what you do you're to keep it lose and speak in a soft melodious tone"
"Next you're going to tell us we should reason with criminals instead of arresting them," Leland said sarcastically.
"Hey," Monk said sternly to Leland, "give the sarcasm a rest and frankly I don't think her idea is such a bad idea. Furthermore if anyone can get through to people she can"
Trudy and Monk looked at each other exchanging a smile.
"Oh hell," the captain said sighing, "okay we'll try it but only for a couple of months. If this doesn't work we go back to the old way. I mean it"
Leland knew there was no point in arguing… because he knew he'd lose.
"Actually," she told them, "communication is a good thing. A lot of people aren't bad. They just do bad things"
"You are so right," Monk told Trudy
"Oh my GOD you can't be serious," Leland groaned
The look on their face answered his question
"Okay you know what," he said, "this is insane."
"Why is it insane," Monk argued, "she's right. It can't hurt to try"
"It's not the way things are done"
"No but it's the way things should be done," Trudy argued back.
Leland rubbed his eyes. He was fighting a headache… a really bad headache.
"I suppose it might help to have people around that people can talk to," he admitted, "we'll try it for a week and see but I'm NOT very optimistic about this one"
"Leland," Monk asked, "why is it hard for you to be positive"
"That's a good question," Leland admitted and deflected.
Monk however was an expert on deflection. That was one of Trudy's defense mechanisms. He never let her pull it over and he wasn't about to let Leland pull it over.
"I'm glad it's a good question," he said, "now how about a good answer"
"I guess," Leland began, "it's how I was brought up"
Monk waited patiently for his friend to continue.
"Where I grew up we had strict guidelines," Leland explained, "and there was no reasoning, no rewards unless you went above and beyond. We always knew we were loved but we weren't babied. Whenever I try to suggest to Karen that we raise our children the way I was raised she has a fit. She starts yelling that we're not savages"
"Well when she's right, she's right"
"I don't know," Leland sighed, "I'm just not comfortable with all that… to me you should do the right thing because it's the right thing to do"
"Yeah and in the pretty land of perfection it would work that way," Monk said, "but we live in the real world."
"It worked fine when I was growing up"
"Things change," Monk explained calmly, "I HATE that things change but things change"
"I mean," Leland sighed, "doesn't it get to you when you can't understand things?"
"Does it- of course it gets to me. It gets to everyone. I remember one time my brother, Ambrose, was acting extremely bizarre even for him. I actually asked him if he was up to something"
"Yeah… and what did he say?"
"Come on Adrian," Monk replied quoting his brother, "you're smarter then me. If I were 'up to something' would I really be that up front about it? I don't th-in-in-ink so"
Leland laughed.
"Why was he acting the way he was acting," he asked Monk"
"Well it's a long story," Monk replied, "but the long and short of it is that he noticed something that was a bit off and thank GOD he did what he did. If he hadn't Trudy would have died"
"Oh that must have been one hell of a story," Leland said
"Trust me it was," Monk acknowledged, "I'll tell you the whole thing sometime"
Leland nodded. He was curious but he didn't have the energy to listen to the story today any more then Monk had the energy to tell it. His friend had given him a lot to think about.
"You also have to realize," Monk added, "that not every situation is the same. For an example there was one time where I had done something extremely stupid that normally I would have been chided for but I wasn't that time… due to the fact that I was having a really tough time and I wasn't thinking clearly"
"So there are times when it's okay to put your foot down then?"
"Under certain conditions yes but I don't like to put my foot down"
"Why?"
"I'm afraid of putting it down in nature," he explained.
Leland wasn't sure if he was serious or joking.
Before he had the chance to ask the phone rang.
"Hello?"
Monk paused for a minute then smiled.
"Sure," he said, "but try to get them down to $200. What happened with the protest?"
He paused for a minute and then chuckled.
"Honey that is so funny. We were just talking about that. That doesn't surprise me… he's always been a little flaky. I love you more," he concluded and hung up.
"Now WHAT was that all about," Leland asked.
Monk filled him in.
"See now THIS is the kind of thing I would put my foot down about"
"Why," Adrian asked, "nobody was hurt. Everything's alright"
"Not that part," Leland said, "I mean, we all know that Randy's a flake. But why buy show tickets for $200?"
"It's a show they want to see," Adrian explained looking at Leland like 'duh', "and besides it's something safe… and entertaining"
"Yeah but you could spend it on something else… something that you need"
"Heck I'm just glad I get out of seeing this one," Adrian laughed, "the last show she dragged me to I thought was going to last forever… though actually it turned out to be pretty good"
"Why did you go," Leland asked
"Okay so I get home and she's all excited because this show's coming out and I didn't want to see it because it had 33 songs instead of an even 34. She tells me I have the right to take her to the show and any attempt to say no would be pointless since she already got the tickets"
"Well that's better then what Karen would say," Leland laughed, "she'd say any attempts to say no will be held against me"
They both laughed.
"So how do you keep yourself from getting mad," Leland asked
"Well I just don't get mad. That's not in my nature… but I'll tell you what my father-in-law did. He told me that when Trudy was born he put a rubber band around his wrist"
"Why did he do that?"
"Well he was raised in a traditional family and he had his weak points. He knew he had a tendency to get mad when he was scared or frustrated or cranky… and yes grownups do get cranky."
"Hey I live with Karen. I know that," Leland joked
Monk laughed but then he turned serious.
"Communication is a lot more effective then any way of handling situations."
Leland sighed
"But what do you do when it doesn't work? What do you do when you explain why you're right and their wrong calmly and-"
"Leland it's not about being right," Monk said gently but firmly, "you have to give up that idea"
Leland shifted uncomfortably.
"Monk can I ask you something," Leland asked
"I think you just did," Monk joked
"Another question Monk! I swear you're worse then my son was when he was five"
Monk wanted to point out that Leland's son was five but he knew that would annoy Leland.
"Go ahead," he told his friend
"Has Trudy ever had any ideas that you disagreed with?"
"Of course," Monk replied, "that's only natural"
"So lets say she has an idea that you didn't agree with," Leland began, "would you still check it out"
"Of course I would," Monk responded looking at Leland like he had 3 heads, "just because I don't agree with her doesn't mean she's wrong. Most of the time she's right"
"Is she always right," Leland asked
"She thinks she is," Monk joked
"Yeah that's clear enough to see"
Leland shook his head laughing.
"What's so funny"
"You set a precedent Monk"
"How did I do that?"
"You set a precedent by being a hero some time back," Leland explained
Monk remembered one of his friends rolling their eyes once and saying, "ugh did you have to be a hero?". He just laughed and thought to himself, yeah pretty much.
"Tough day," he asked his friend
"Ya think," his friend asked, "ugh dang-it"
"You get used to it," he said with a smile… completely clueless
Monk was not like everyone else. Taking the electric bracelet off of Trudy and putting it on himself for example was as natural as breathing. Solving mysteries that nobody could solve was like going to the bathroom. For most people this wasn't natural. Monk had set a precedent that was not easy to follow site in.
The idea of being supportive was definitely acceptable. Nobody would have a problem with that and you're supposed to be supportive. It also wasn't much of a stretch to defend the person you love in public or even in private. Until Monk however the idea of taking the repercussions for something someone else was accused of doing was definitely not something that even came to anyone's mind. Monk was not very popular when that situation occurred for anyone else.
"Oh I am so excited about the show," Trudy told Karen, "Adrian told me to tell you he hopes you enjoy the show as much as I do"
"I can't wait," Karen said, "what show is it again?"
"Tale of Two Cities," Trudy replied, "the musical"
"I loved the book," Karen told her friend, "and thank you for being there for me. You really made me feel better"
It made Trudy feel good, knowing that she made a difference to her friend. Adrian always said that the best part of his work was when he was able to make a difference to another person. Trudy understood that feeling.
"You know," Trudy added, "You need to talk to your husband and let him know how his behavior makes you feel. Don't do it in a negative way though."
"So what do I do," Karen asked frustrated, "I need to let him know that the way he behaves upsets me"
"You let him know through the a b c method of communication. You might say when you do a… insist on trying something that I'm not comfortable with I feel b… angry, upset and disrespected because of c… the fact that you have no consideration for my feelings"
"Can I ask you a question?"
"I think you just did," Trudy joked and then said, "go ahead"
"If what you said is the case and I understand that it is why didn't you tell your husband that when he drove on the wrong side of the road you feel upset because he could get hurt and even killed? Why did you punish him for that?"
"He purposely drove on the wrong side of the road to avoid a little gravel on his tires. He could have been killed and he was an adult with common or at least some sense. The option of not punishing him was an unsafe option."
"What does him being an adult have to do with anything," Karen asked
"See that's a good question," Trudy answered, "when a child does something wrong they are acting on impulse. They don't need to be punished… just talked to and explained the difference between what they did and what they should have done. Children learn quickly but Adrian on the other hand can be very stubborn. It's not his fault it's just the way he is at times"
"But he wasn't thinking clearly," Karen argued
"You're right and I made allowance for that with minor things but I couldn't allow him to do something that would get himself killed. After his pain somewhat subsided, he'd stopped crying, and I had stopped crying and consoled him I told him that the pain he was feeling at that point was nothing compared to how I would have been feeling if that safe killed him. I told him I love him and I never want to have to do anything like that again. I explained that I hope he still loved me to which he told me I shouldn't ask such stupid questions because him not loving me would be like Romeo NOT loving Juliet or the sun not being bright… it was impossible"
"So what happened than," Karen asked
"I explained to him how much it hurt me to have to do that and that if there was any way to teach him his lesson in a more positive way I would have but I wasn't willing to lose him. He understood and was even willing to take a step back for awhile until I got my nerves under control… which took me almost a year. I told him that I wasn't going to let him give up because I loved him too much to let him give up… and then we went outside and talked in the moonlight. He asked me if I had forgiven him and I told him there was nothing to forgive—I wasn't angry with him… I just had to do it."
"Did he understand?"
"Absolutely though it took awhile for the hurt to go away. After he was feeling 100% better we had another long talk. I also grounded him from cleaning for a month. I did not cave that time—except for little concessions."
"What sort of concessions," Karen asked
"Well for example there was one day where he didn't try to sneak clean at all so I gave him the privilege of vacuuming and doing the dishes that night."
"That's a privilege," Karen asked
"For most people no," Trudy replied, "for Adrian yes"
"He needs to get a hobby," Karen joked
"Oh cleaning isn't his hobby. It's just something he feels compelled to do. It's much like how I have a need for everything to be up front. If things aren't the way Adrian thinks they should be he gets uncomfortable. I have to make concession for that"
Karen laughed a little bit but she understood what her friend was saying.
"Did he approve of your getting mad," Karen asked
"The first time he understood. The second time I didn't consult him. I wasn't willing to lose him unnecessarily"
"Every time I get nervous Leland points out that I knew what he did when I married him so according to him I don't have the right to my feelings."
"He said that?"
Trudy was shocked. Clearly the man needed some lessons in social skills.
Adrian apparently agreed with Trudy's assessment.
"What do you mean she doesn't have a right to her feelings," he asked Leland, "the last time I checked she was a person"
"But she knew what I did when she married me," Leland argued
"Does she tell you what you do is wrong?"
"Not in so many words but she worries all the time. It's irritating"
"Leland how would you feel if you were in her shoes"
"Clumsy," Leland joked, "she wears high heals"
"Leland I'm serious"
"I think I might feel a little worried too but I wouldn't try to guilt her"
"How does she try to guilt you?"
"It's from the look on her face. Sometimes she has tears in her eyes. Sometimes she gets so shaken up it's almost amusing. I have no patience for it"
Monk could see this wasn't working and decided to try a different approach.
"Leland," he asked, "do you love Karen"
"Of course I love Karen," Leland said astounded that he would ask such a question, "that's why I want to try domestic discipline"
"Tell me some things that make you love Karen," Monk asked.
"I love her compassion. I love her enthusiasm
"I love the way her smile lights up her eyes. I love the way she... the way she cares. I love the way that she knows what she wants and goes for it"
"Sounds to me like some of the things that make you crazy about her are some of the things you love most about her."
Leland laughed and acknowledged that was probably true.
"I think that one of the many things that I love most about Karen is actually something I love about you too. She's always there for the people she loves. That includes her friends."
"You always said that also annoyed you about her. Why?"
"Because," Leland explained, "that behavior sets a precedent. If she behaves like that I'm expected to behave like that. Sometimes I can't behave like that and yet I'm still expected to behave like that because she behaves like that."
"There's nothing wrong with being there for your friends," Monk argued calmly, "I'm always there for my friends. It's just natural for me"
"For me too," Leland explained, "but sometimes if you carry too much on your shoulders at once it can become a very heavy burden"
Monk couldn't argue that. It was a fact… an undeniable fact. There had been times he tried to put his foot down… never with Trudy of course but with his friends. He lasted all of a few seconds before he caved though.
It was right at that moment that the girls got back.
"Hey ladies how was the show?"
"It's this evening," Trudy explained cheerfully.
"Karen," Leland said, "can we talk… I mean really talk"
"Sure," Karen replied.
He gently took her hand and led her outside to the patio where they sat down.
"Honey," he told her, "I've been talking to Monk today and I realize I haven't been treating you right. I haven't been selfish… thinking only about what I want and not giving any credence to your feelings. I know that's wrong, very wrong on my part but may I explain the reasoning behind it?"
"Of course," Karen told him, "please do explain"
"I grew up in a very strict albeit very loving household. We had rules set by my father and if those rules were broken we were punished. We were rewarded for going above and beyond but not for regular behavior that was expected of us… except for praise. For me it was all that we knew and when my parents had trouble in their marriage it was domestic discipline that SAVED their marriage."
"I think," Karen said, "we need to see a marriage consoler"
"Why," Leland asked, "we're not defective"
"Neither is anyone involved in the communication program. They're there because they have a problem communicating and handling themselves appropriately not because they are defective. Some people just need a little help or a little encouragement."
"Yeah and that was an idea I wasn't too optimistic about because it was one that I wasn't used to"
"Did it work?"
"Yes," Leland smiled, "it did but you know I don't handle change well"
"Most men don't," Karen teased, "that's why women change their names instead of men"
Leland had to chuckle at that. Karen was a bit of a feminist but at the same time a bit of a romantic too.
She liked the doors to be held open for her. She liked the chairs to be pulled out for her. She liked to be treated like a queen. Leland missed the days when he enjoyed doing that.
"So… marriage consoling huh?"
Karen nodded
"I think we need it"
"I… think you're right," Leland admitted