Page 80 of Rebound With Me
Vince
Dr. Glass doesn’t seem anywhere nearas surprised as I am that I called to schedule an appointment ASAP once I got back home.
“So, I decided to keep seeing Nina. The ex-fiancée of the guy that Sadie’s been dating.”
She nods once and blinks, but this is also no surprise to her. “How’s that going?”
“It’s good, actually. It’s really good. It might be great.” I have this huge grin on my face and my knee’s bouncing up and down like it always does when I’m here. “I had a talk with my Dad last night. About wanting to become a partner someday. At his firm.”
She smiles and makes a note. “That’s quite significant.”
“I know. It means more training, then I’d be Senior VP, then partner. I used to want to keep my options open, in case some other career opportunity came along that was more interesting to me. But now I’m not afraid to go all-in with the family business, especially if it means more money, even if it means more responsibility.” I have to take a breath before I continue, but I look up at Dr. Glass and I know she knows what I’m going to say next. “I want to be able to provide for someone one day. Not someone. Nina. Just her. I’m in love with her. I’m so fucking head-over-heels in love with her. Sorry.”
“You don’t have to apologize for swearing. Especially in that context. Have you told her how you feel?”
“Not in so many words. I almost did. I want to. I don’t want to scare her off.”
“I’m sure that wouldn’t be an issue.”
“You don’t think things are happening too fast?”
“I didn’t say that. Regardless. All in good time. It’s lovely to see you feeling this way. I’m happy for you.”
“I like feeling this way. I do. But I also hate it.”
“How so?”
“I mean, you know me, I’m a confident guy.”
“Sure.”
“And it’s not that she makes me feel insecure, it’s just that I feel like I need to be better for her, but I might not get the chance.”
“Why wouldn’t you get the chance?”
“Because. Like an idiot, I told her at first that we should just spend the summer together. You know. A summer rebound. Two months seemed like a long time for something that was obviously a bad idea.”
“And now?”
“Now I keep looking at the calendar, and it’s like each day that we get closer to each other we’re also getting closer to the end. I feel like time’s running out.”
“I see.” She is scribbling madly in her notebook. “Vince. Can you think of another situation in your life when you felt like time was running out with someone that you loved?”
“You mean when my Mom was dying? It is so not the same thing. Not even close. Why would you say that?”
“Perhaps I misspoke. I don’t mean that the situation is the same. But the feelings that are coming up.”
I wince.
“Do you see how this is an abandonment issue?”
I don’t answer her. If this is supposed to be anahamoment, it’s pretty underwhelming.
She sighs. “Vince, we all have abandonment issues to some degree, we all have different coping mechanisms for dealing with loss. Being in a serious relationship brings up all of our feelings, all of our issues, and it’s not a bad thing. They have to come up so that we can recognize them and deal with them. Sometimes, we even subconsciously create situations that will move this process along. But we need to find aneffectiveway of dealing with them. Even when you’re happy. Especially when you’re happy. So we can ensure that you have the proper tools for when you get…not happy.”
Not happy.This is what she gets paid two hundred bucks per forty-five minutes for.
“Please let me help you find what works for you. I can give you this early morning slot if you’d like.”
Decent pitch.
I drop my head back and groan like Charlie when it’s bedtime.
I will do this. I will do this for Nina. At this point, it’s pretty much the grandest gesture I can make and it will be so boring and it will suck ass and she probably won’t even know I’m doing it for her.
