worried about Charlie.”
“Can you be more specific?”
I sit there and think what to say. There’s so much that’s worrying me, so I pick the first issue that pops in my head. “She doesn’t have a job yet.”
“And why’s that a concern?”
“Well, since I’ve known Charlie, all she’s wanted to do is be a doctor. She worked her ass off to be a doctor. She loves being a doctor. She’s said a hundred times that she’d do it for free. I figured when she moved to Dallas that, if I kept her unemployed for a month, I’d be doing good.” I stop and take a deep breath, and then let it out slowly. “She won’t even entertain the job offers that have flooded in. Her assistant said that every day he tries to talk to her about them, and she changes the subject.”
Doctor Benson begins to take notes on her tablet. “Have you asked Caroline about working?”
“I’ve told her that, if she doesn’t want to work, that she doesn’t have to. I’ve also told her that if she wants to work, that I’ll support her. I’ve offered to pay to set up a practice for her or buy into an existing one. God, Doc. I never thought that I’d be so upset because she doesn’t want to work.” I adjust my legs and run my hand through my hair. Charlie’s right. If I don’t stop doing this, I’ll be bald by forty.
“But, Colin, you just said what you’ve told Caroline.” Doctor Benson stops me. “Have you asked her if she wants to work? Have you asked Caroline what she wants?”
That makes me pause for a second. I haven’t asked her. I just assumed that she wanted to work.
Doctor Benson puts her pen down, and asks, “What else is bothering you?”
“She sleeps in every morning and doesn’t want to get out of bed. When she does get up, she’s snappy and short-tempered. I mean, she yelled at me because I forgot to clean out the toothpaste from the sink one time. It wasn’t even her sink. She kicked out the guys that I’ve let stay with me. She cried and complained about Jenny working at our house, enough so that I rented an office space. Look, Doc. I know that learning to live with someone else isn’t easy. I get that she’s lived alone since she was twenty-two. But this isn’t Charlie.”
I stop for a second, and drop my head into my hands. “I mean, it’s gotten better since I’ve been flying you up. She seems happier that Jenny now works at my office instead of the house. I know that she’s pleased that my football stuff has moved out of the house too. But, none of it changes the fact that I’m still scared shitless I’m losing my girl.”
Doctor Benson sets the pad and pen on a table next to her chair. I watch her for a moment, hoping to find some sort of expression that will make me feel better. Nothing does.
“Colin, Caroline has been patient of mine for a couple of years now. I’m very familiar with her personal history, and her history with you. She’s a complex, brilliant woman. Have you considered that she’s going through a tough time? She’s lost a job that was her identity, and her home which she built, and lovingly chose each piece of furniture for. And her relationship with her father is strained. Caroline will always struggle with issues of control. It’s something that she can’t be cured of. She just has to find ways to cope.
“In the previous times that I have met with you and her, you’ve said that you’ve made some positive changes to your living situation that have made her feel more comfortable. Give her a chance to adjust, Colin, to these positive changes. She also needs reassurance that she can voice her objections to you without you pushing her away. Losing your temper, if you will. Caroline needs to feel like she’s your equal.”
Doctor Benson stops talking and gives me a minute to process what she’s saying. There’s a lot of truth in it. It’s like someone turned on a light in a dark room. I lean back against the couch cushion and cross my legs. “I think
“Can you be more specific?”
I sit there and think what to say. There’s so much that’s worrying me, so I pick the first issue that pops in my head. “She doesn’t have a job yet.”
“And why’s that a concern?”
“Well, since I’ve known Charlie, all she’s wanted to do is be a doctor. She worked her ass off to be a doctor. She loves being a doctor. She’s said a hundred times that she’d do it for free. I figured when she moved to Dallas that, if I kept her unemployed for a month, I’d be doing good.” I stop and take a deep breath, and then let it out slowly. “She won’t even entertain the job offers that have flooded in. Her assistant said that every day he tries to talk to her about them, and she changes the subject.”
Doctor Benson begins to take notes on her tablet. “Have you asked Caroline about working?”
“I’ve told her that, if she doesn’t want to work, that she doesn’t have to. I’ve also told her that if she wants to work, that I’ll support her. I’ve offered to pay to set up a practice for her or buy into an existing one. God, Doc. I never thought that I’d be so upset because she doesn’t want to work.” I adjust my legs and run my hand through my hair. Charlie’s right. If I don’t stop doing this, I’ll be bald by forty.
“But, Colin, you just said what you’ve told Caroline.” Doctor Benson stops me. “Have you asked her if she wants to work? Have you asked Caroline what she wants?”
That makes me pause for a second. I haven’t asked her. I just assumed that she wanted to work.
Doctor Benson puts her pen down, and asks, “What else is bothering you?”
“She sleeps in every morning and doesn’t want to get out of bed. When she does get up, she’s snappy and short-tempered. I mean, she yelled at me because I forgot to clean out the toothpaste from the sink one time. It wasn’t even her sink. She kicked out the guys that I’ve let stay with me. She cried and complained about Jenny working at our house, enough so that I rented an office space. Look, Doc. I know that learning to live with someone else isn’t easy. I get that she’s lived alone since she was twenty-two. But this isn’t Charlie.”
I stop for a second, and drop my head into my hands. “I mean, it’s gotten better since I’ve been flying you up. She seems happier that Jenny now works at my office instead of the house. I know that she’s pleased that my football stuff has moved out of the house too. But, none of it changes the fact that I’m still scared shitless I’m losing my girl.”
Doctor Benson sets the pad and pen on a table next to her chair. I watch her for a moment, hoping to find some sort of expression that will make me feel better. Nothing does.
“Colin, Caroline has been patient of mine for a couple of years now. I’m very familiar with her personal history, and her history with you. She’s a complex, brilliant woman. Have you considered that she’s going through a tough time? She’s lost a job that was her identity, and her home which she built, and lovingly chose each piece of furniture for. And her relationship with her father is strained. Caroline will always struggle with issues of control. It’s something that she can’t be cured of. She just has to find ways to cope.
“In the previous times that I have met with you and her, you’ve said that you’ve made some positive changes to your living situation that have made her feel more comfortable. Give her a chance to adjust, Colin, to these positive changes. She also needs reassurance that she can voice her objections to you without you pushing her away. Losing your temper, if you will. Caroline needs to feel like she’s your equal.”
Doctor Benson stops talking and gives me a minute to process what she’s saying. There’s a lot of truth in it. It’s like someone turned on a light in a dark room. I lean back against the couch cushion and cross my legs. “I think
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