As the week came around to a rainy Wednesday night, Norma sat and lotioned her legs perched on her cushioned vanity seat. She remembered the knock on her door from a few years back. Alex when he was only her faithful Sheriff Bulldog. She never knew how it'd turn out between them. It was filled with bumps and cracks and twists and turns. She sighed and picked up her phone, calling him.
"Norma?" he grumbled out over the other end. He was still in the motel on bedrest and watch because of his recent run in with the demons of cheap booze and anguish. His voice was filled with resentment and she tried not to react the way she wanted to.
"Alex. Hi...I needed to talk to you," she started, rising up from the seat and pacing around her room.
He wondered if it was another hook up. Did she want to break her dry spell with him? He grinned to himself, thinking he'd won some kind of fight. But it was too easy. And nothing with Norma...his Norma, was never easy. "Is everything okay up there?" he asked, the protective side of him lurking about.
"Yeah, everything is fine," she lied, her world was always in shambles. And her emotions were all over the map. Nothing was fine, nothing was normal. And maybe that was okay. But she knew it had to be fixed. "I just need to ask you um- Are you busy tomorrow?"
She immediately felt stupid. Of course he wasn't busy, he was on bedrest. But it was a Thursday. She knew Alex never used to be at the office overtly late on a Thursday. She smiled to herself as her heart grew nostalgic...it used to be the day of their date nights. The smile faded as she remembered that she had to be professional here. Their situation couldn't be that easy. This was not a flashlight in a dark room. This was not a movie where the two characters kiss in the rain and jump into one another's arms. Norma knew that wasn't reality. It really wasn't a movie, they'd both screwed up.
"Uh- I don't know, the mattress has me pretty preoccupied for tomorrow morning. The afternoon or night is better," he said, she could hear the sarcasm oozing out of his voice. He'd been confined to that room for a while now. She felt no surprise towards his reaction.
"I'm sure it does," she laughed to herself, "Listen, I need you to meet me at the house around 6. I have something happening and I need you here for it."
The worst part of the conversation was that she was forcing herself to be pleasant towards the man she loved. They had to work out the kinks before anything else. But she knew that she had to smooth out a little bit of the gravel to get him to agree with her. Even though all she wanted to do was tear him a new one over the whole Rebecca thing.
"Did you kill someone?" he deadpanned, she knew he was joking but it was too soon. She rolled her eyes, knowing he couldn't see her reaction. She walked over to the window and watched his motel room.
"Alex listen...just come up here tomorrow at 6, okay?" she asked, running a finger through her locks as she waited.
"Whatever you want, Norma," he agreed with a huff. He hung up the phone and tossed it aside, putting his face in his hands. He wondered if there was a slight chance if Norma was going to seduce him. It was a total off chance.
She clicked her phone off and sat back on the coach with a huff. This was gonna be a rough patch.
Consider their conversation on the ride to Laura's office like trying to meddle a fussy four year old into a car seat. Norma didn't tell him where they were headed yet but made sure he was strapped in for the ride. She knew if she told him what was going on, he'd back out. He was private. So was she. It was a downfall, honestly. But luckily for her, she'd broke through those walls and talked to someone she trusted as a doctor. She let silent prayers cross her lips, wishing that Alex would take to her somehow.
They sat outside the brick building and all Alex had to see was the word doctor before turning towards her, his expression sour and his body language closed off immediately.
"What the hell, is this some kind of psycho analysis for my drinking? Because for the last time, I told you-"
She put her hand up and shook her head, "Stop it...just please, stop. You have to trust me here. I'm gonna be the bigger person and catch us in a safety net. But you have to come with me."
He huffed and held back the eyeroll, curiosity boiling up inside of him. She waited for him to exit the mercedes and walked them inside, to the destination in complete silence. Upon entering the office, Alex was still lost. He looked around and saw a muddle of certificates on the wall. All saying doctor. He was lost, shooting Norma a confused scowl.
"Norma-" he began before being cut off by the short haired blonde woman decked out in a sharp suit. She motioned for them to sit which his wife immediately did, as if on command. He was hesitant, raising an eyebrow at the strange woman.
"What is all this?" he asked, his defence growing strong.
Laura reached out a hand, "Hi. I'm Laura Whittier. I'm Norma's therapist and I asked if she'd like to do a meeting with the both of you today."
With no firm grip, he gave her the most enthusiastic handshake applicable, sitting down next to Norma and whispering, "Everything alright?"
His mind immediately shot back to the suicidal thoughts that had cursed her mind once Norman passed. It was rough...a heartbreaker to hear that his wife wanted to exit the earth to find solace. Not even his love and support could stop her from the mental torture she faced day in and day out and he felt guilty. After what she had done to him, he still felt guilty about not being able to help enough. Maybe if he had, they would be renewing vows with a happy and healthy baby in the picture. But those days were gone and those dreams were put to sleep.
"You and I both know that nothing is alright," Norma started with a sigh, "Laura is here to um- she's here to help us...heal. Together."
Alex looked to the doctor with his head cocked. "What does that mean?"
"Well, I've been working with Norma for a bit now. And she seems to have some things she wants to express to you. I want to help you both heal and ride the road to recovery together. Anything is possible, right?" she asked, rhetorically. She reached down and gave them both pieces of paper and two pens, sliding them across the desk equally. "Now, I want you both to do me a favor. Alex, I want you to write down in five words or less what your wife means to you. Norma, I want you to do the same. I'm not gonna read them aloud. And this isn't a test. Go."
After three minutes of silence, both of them folded up the paper and stuffed it into pockets. They looked at one another briefly and then back to the doctor, waiting for instructions. Laura took out her pad of paper and examined the two. She piped up, her eyes on Alex, "So, Alex, when did you fall in love with your wife?"
"Um…" he began, looking over to her without really trying to make eye contact. It was iffy, telling a complete stranger intimate details of their life and love. But if it meant getting his wife back and their relationship the way he'd always dreamed...he would tell all. "When she smiled at me. I knew there was something...a connection. The first night I met her I knew she'd be a hard one to shake off. When I put my mother's ring on her finger I knew she was mine and I guess that uh- that made me really happy."
She just nodded, jotting down the things he gave to her. "Thank you for sharing that with me. Norma, same thing...I want you to tell me when you really fell for your husband. When you knew you were in love," she said, knowing the answer because of the conversation they had the day before. She wanted Alex to know for reasons of humanity. Laura wanted to show that though the line was bitter and frosty, warmth could still be elicited.
Norma turned to Alex, trying to shield the emotion, "When you planted me the lupins that night before dinner. That's when I knew. I just thought of your selflessness and the way you loved me right back without me ever telling you and I guess I fell hard."
He had the urge to reach down and clutch her hand but he stopped himself, not wanting to break their rules. Even though this was an intimate thing, sitting across from a fucking therapist and spilling their feelings for one another was one of the most intimate things they'd done in their time with one another. Instead, he shot her a meaningful nod, reflecting to how happy those flowers had made her.
"Very nice, you two," Laura exclaimed, casting her paper aside, "Now I'm gonna throw a curveball at you. When did you know you were still in love with one another?"
Alex rose an eyebrow in confusion, "Wait...still in love with each other? I'm lost I don't-"
"Norma told me about everything. She told me about all the bumps in the road that you two e counter. And I'm just curious, after all the heartache and anger you two have embraced each other with...why are you still seeing each other? There has to be a connection, a human connection, of some kind, right? So where does that stem from? How'd you know when you were still in love with the person you once showed so much animosity for?" she asked, crossing her legs and eyeing down the pair.
"I mean...I guess my continuous love for him comes from a place of missing his presence. I miss him lying in bed next to me at night and talking to me over dinner and calling me all the pet names he did before. It's hard to live without that kind of love," Norma expressed, forcing herself to look at the side of her husband's face. She knew this wasn't easy for him to hear or experience.
"I find it hard to believe, Norma. Why do we have rules, hm? Because I'm 1000% sure that we would be stumbling back into a respectful relationship if we didn't follow this bullshit structure," he spat. His heart was soaring with the knowledge that Norma still loved him. However, it was confusing at the same time.
"Let's not be hasty, Alex," Laura said, trying to hold back the feisty rage she could feel coming off his body, "When you say rules...what are you referring to?"
"Sure, doc. Let me break this down for you. Norma here created these rules. They're basically sexual guidelines. When we sleep together, I have to wear a condom at all times even though she has the little stick in her arm that keeps any babies out of the picture. We aren't allowed to kiss or hug or really touch. We can't do missionary because it's too romantic. And no lovey dovey stuff. It's essentially the least sexual form of intercourse you can have with another person," he explained, his voice letting off bouts of sarcasm and anger.
Laura shot him a quick nod and looked to her female patient, "Norma, would you like to explain why these rules are in place?"
She sighed and ran a hand over her face, the nerves coming to bite her right in the pit of the stomach, "Because...I was scared. I didn't want to fall back in love, not after every loss I had. Not when I couldn't show myself love or care. I tried to cut all intimacy with him because I was scared that I couldn't handle it."
The doctor looked to Alex, "And do you want intimacy with your wife? Do you want that love back?"
He nodded, "Yeah. Of course. I miss that too...it's um- it's been rough...without her."
Alexander Romero had never been one with words or romanticisms. But he'd be absolutely damned if he let his own wife slip away from him. He'd never let it happen. Not in one million years.
"Well then, I have your first assignment for the week," she said, closing her notebook. "Before I give it to you, I want you both to trade papers with one another. The one's from earlier. Don't read them now. Read them when your apart."
The pair traded papers and stuffed them back into various pockets, each heart beating at the prospect of what was on the crinkled up sheet.
"Okay...for this week, I want you two to go on a date. Simple. No flowers. No hearts. This isn't some makeshift Valentine's Day. Just go on a simple married person outing. See how it goes. How it feels. Then I want the both of you right back here in my office and we're gonna discuss. Sound like a plan?"
They both nodded slowly, both wanting to reject but also jump for joy at the idea of spending time together. Something they hadn't done without confrontation in a long while.
With the good doctors devotion and guidance, this was bound to bloom with prosperity.
When Alex reached his car, his hands were sweaty.
When he was finally strapped into the driver's seat, he shuffled his hand around in his swishy pockets.
His heart beats quickened the pace as he read his wife's swirly handwriting.
The sun and moon and stars.
All fights and anger and hatred combined and he still meant all of those things to her?
With a heavy foot on the gas, he drove with a hazy halo circling around him.
He was still hers.
As Norma sat in the seat of her vintage baby blue automobile, she picked the paper out of her skirt pocket.
She looked up to the sun before taking a deep breath, opening it slowly.
In her stomach there was a nauseas knot, in her head there were rays of light.
Everything.
That was it...she still meant everything to him.
She clutched the note to her heart and silently thanked whoever heard her prayers at night.
With a hopeful smile, she started the car.