Dead Inside. A Short Story. Part 2.

And now the unveiling of my second chapter.  Chapter one can be located here, if one wishes to start from the beginning.

Chapter 2

“So?”

The view outside wasn't spectacular by any means, not even interesting, but Lily was content with it as she drowned out a voice that sounded suspiciously like Charlie Brown’s parents. Mesmerized by the cars zipping in and out of the strip mall, Lily wonders why she wastes her time coming here every week when the end result is always the same.

“Lily?” This time Dr. Cruzan grabs her attention. Sitting on the edge of his desk, he writes briefly on a small note pad and then slaps it down the desk. She jumps slightly, “I'm sorry.”

“That's quite alright. I know the landscape out there is mesmerizing.”

Oblivious to his sarcasm, she straightens her posture, tugs on her skirt nervously and squirms in her seat. The uneasiness is hard to hide when you've been put on the spot knowing that you haven't been paying attention. Dr. Cruzan continues, “I was just asking how you two have been doing. Have you guys been doing the exercises that I recommended last week?”

“I've just been so slammed at work.”

Sitting next to Lily, Trent grunts in objection to her answer while chomping on his fingernails. His eyes dart back and forth between Lily and the doctor.

“That doesn't sound very encouraging.” Dr. Cruzan glances down at his tie and rubs his finger a small stain; or an ugly spot. It was hard to tell. He looks over at the clock on his desk, thankful that this is his last session for the day.

“That's because it isn't,” Trent interjects, pulling his hands out of his mouth and placing them on his lap.

“How so?” Dr. Cruzan scratches his balding head.

“Friends, family, and the foundation. They always take precedence over us.”

“So... distractions.”

“It's called life,” chimes in Lily. She's not going down without a fight on this one.

“I call it an excuse,” Trent antes up while adjusting himself on the couch to face Lily directly. A resurgence of confidence always bubbles to the surface when he knows that Dr. Cruzan backs his plays.

Irate to the point where she can't breathe, her blood begins to boil as she glares at him. How dare you confront me in front of someone else! Her mouth cracks open slightly about to retaliate when Dr. Cruzan interrupts, trying to pour some water over the slowly rising flames that have generated between his patients. “Well, I think I might have--” He pauses, trying to give proper description to the next word that comes out of his mouth, “--a solution.”

Grabbing the note pad that startled Lily only moments ago, he scribbles down a few lines and tears off the sheet. Standing up straight, Dr. Cruzan's back cracks like bubble wrap. He makes his way to Trent and hands him the small sheet of paper as Lily's phone vibrates.

Dr. Cruzan clears his throat and says, “I‘m holding a small marriage retreat and workshop this weekend. I do this every year, but right before your session, I had a couple cancel, so I do have an opening. I know it‘s very short notice.

“Now normally I wouldn‘t spring something like this on you two so suddenly, but I really think you would benefit. It‘s only a few hours’ drive north from here. It‘s out of the way and a perfect place to just disconnect from everything. No distractions except for the beauty of Mother Nature.”

Looking at the small piece of paper, Trent rubs his chin with intrigue. Dr. Cruzan attempts to finish off his sales pitch, “Fishing, hiking. It‘s a great little town to just get swallowed up into. Trust me, after this weekend, you won‘t be able to leave.”

There's a brief pause as Dr. Cruzan attempts to place the icing on the cake, “And since its short notice, I won‘t even charge you for the retreat.”

With his eyebrows raised, Trent has given away his tell. Now all he has to do is convince his wife. “Lily?”

“I don't know.” She can't even look up from her Blackberry. An uncomfortable quiet fills the office. She stops tapping on the tiny keyboard and looks up, realizing that she's now been placed at the center of attention once again. “I've got a ton of things going on right now. And I need to finish them this weekend.”

“You need to stop making excuses, Lily.” Dr. Cruzan sits down on the coffee table, now at her eye level. “If you want to make things work with you and Trent, then I would suggest going on this retreat. No friends. No family. No foundation. And no distractions.”

With a smile plastered a mile wide, Dr. Cruzan looks down at her Blackberry and then back up to Lily and says, “Oh, and no cell phones.”

Turning to Trent, a look of sheer desperation fills her face. Trent could care less. This is what he's been waiting for. Laying his cards all out on the table, he says, “I‘m game. It‘ll be good for us to get out of the city. Take in some fresh air, commune with nature.” Trent can hardly believe the corny words that he hears coming out of his mouth, but he knows they're true just the same. Grabbing her hand, he makes his final plea, “Lily, we need this. It would mean so much to me.”

“I don't know.” Her ears start to ring as her cheeks turn red. Her heart begins to pound quickly in her chest, as if trying to escape. I've got a bad feeling about this. The thought circles around inside Lily’s head, multiplying at lightning speed until they start to adhere to the inside of her skull, like freshly installed wallpaper. Something about this just doesn't feel right.

Making his way behind his desk, Dr. Cruzan sits down with superiority. He pulls out a pipe and packs it firmly with a small wad of tobacco. A small lighter flicks three times before producing a flame that lights his pipe. Puffing slowly and deliberately, Dr. Cruzan finally lets out a large trail of smoke and says, “I think he's right, Lily.”