Chapter 13: Niles


Niles arrived at the restaurant just before one. He was nervous, not sure what was going to happen. Like he said to Daphne that morning, Niles didn't know what Maris wanted; which meant he didn't know how this conversation will go. He'd been pushing for marriage counselling for over a year - since they separated - but she wasn't budging. He didn't know if he should finally push to start divorce proceedings, or keep to the status quo. Either conversation was destined to be frustrating and depressing.

He felt trapped, mainly because of the pre-nup he had signed. It felt like an insurmountable hurdle, which would leave him very little if they divorced. Niles was no longer sure he wanted to remain in this marriage. Up until a week ago, he probably would have fought to keep working on it, not wanting to admit to wasting 12 years of his life on a failed marriage. But since Daphne... well, he suddenly felt like he could see a future that he might have without Maris.

All he knew was that he was sick of being separated, with Maris dangling their marriage in front of him like a carrot. He wanted to put an end of this standoff.

He was led to the table that Maris had reserved. She was already there, sipping a seltzer water. The menu in front of her was untouched, and likely to remain that way.

"Maris." She didn't rise, instead offering her cheek to him. Niles bent down and gave her a light peck, before taking his seat, and ordering a drink. "I hope you weren't waiting too long."
"Not at all."

They sat in silence for a few minutes. Niles had glanced over the menu, and his drink arrived before he spoke again.

"How have you been?" He sipped nervously at his wine.
"Perfectly fine. Missy Prescott was just asking me yesterday if we were still doing the separation thing. I said to Missy, 'Well, Niles is still sulking, poor thing'. So, I thought I would check up on you."

Maris looked at him, waiting for him to respond. Niles sipped at his wine some more, and perused the menu. He was used to this kind of thing. Niles knew that their separation was because Maris didn't like being told no, and that he would need to come groveling back. In her mind, it was all his fault, and that this was nothing more than a tantrum that he needed to get over.

"Thank you, Maris. I appreciate your consideration."

The waiter came to take their orders; Maris' request proved somewhat confusing for the waiter. They sat in silence again for a few more minutes. Silence was a common theme when Niles was with Maris. He used to think it was a sign of contentment, but recently – how recently? – he started to consider it more that he didn't want to provoke her, or be on the receiving end of some put down or insult.

Niles decided to jump into the conversation he wanted to have head first.

"Well, seeing as we are talking about our marriage; Maris, I've told you what I want. Honestly, I am done with being separated. This needs to end one way or another. I want us to go to marriage counselling."

Maris was silent, her face inscrutable. Niles pressed on, trying not to be swayed.

"Unless you want our marriage to end in divorce, we need to be on the same page. There's some things that we need to work through together before we can move forward. And for that, I insist we get counselling. I don't want to argue this point further."

The waiter returned with their food; Maris' 'salad' consisting of three spinach leaves and half a celery stick. She looked at Niles, and that look gave him a glimmer of hope that she might finally consider the counselling.

"I'll think about it."
"Thank you."

They commenced eating their meals in silence.


Niles met Frasier at Café Nervosa later that afternoon. He sat at a table, waiting for his brother to come in.

"Frasier."
"Hello, Niles. You look in good spirits."

The waiter came over to take their orders. Niles ordered first.

"Decaf latte, low fat milk."
"I'll have my usual." Frasier turned his attention back to Niles. "So, what's put you in such a good mood?"

Niles considered telling Frasier the full truth of what had transpired over the last week, but he – and more importantly, Daphne – weren't ready for that. Instead, he opted for his other news.

"This stalemate with Maris and our marriage might be coming to an end."
"Really?"
"We met for lunch today. I told her I couldn't stand to be in separation limbo anymore, and unless she wanted the marriage to end we simply had to get into counselling." The waiter returned with their coffees.
"And she agreed?" Frasier seemed incredulous. Niles shrugged.
"Her exact words were, 'I'll think about it'. But I saw a twinkle in her eye I have not seen since the neighbor children discovered the new electric fence."

Frasier held out his coffee cup, and clinked it against Niles' cup.

"Well, congratulations."
"Thank you."

As they sipped their coffees, a man approached their table glancing at the two brothers; unsure which one he was after.

"Excuse me. Dr Niles Crane?" Niles turned his attention to the man.
"I am."
"Here." The man held out a yellow envelope to Niles. He opened it.
"Who's sending me this?" He pulled out the papers inside, and read out what was written. "Notice: Petition... for Divorce."

His heart dropped to his stomach, the room suddenly feeling like it was spinning. Frasier looked over at Niles with sympathy.

"I don't know what to say."

Niles sighed, slipping the papers back into the envelope, and resealing it.

"Oh... it's all right. Would have been nice if we'd given therapy a try, but, uh... so be it."
"I know this is little consolation, but you're to be applauded for the way you're handling this. A lesser man would panic."

Niles smiled sadly at Frasier.

"Thank you. It hurts that she decided on this route, but I did want to push things forward."
"How would you like to go to dinner tonight? As a way to take your mind off things."
"Thanks Frasier, but I'll have to decline. I think I'd rather a night at home by myself. If you'll excuse me, I might head off now."

Frasier nodded, looking at his brother with concern.

"Are you sure you'll be all right, Niles? You've been distant this past week."

Niles had already stood up, and was putting money down on the table for his coffee.

"Yes. I've just been a bit... contemplative lately. Listen, how about we book the courts for a squash game on Saturday?"
"Alright, I'll call later to confirm."

Niles squeezed Frasier's shoulder.

"Thank you, Frasier."

Niles left. He found himself wandering aimlessly, lost in thought, before getting into his car and heading home. He had a dinner with Daphne tonight, which was something to look forward to.