Free Mollywood by L.G. Pace III

hit the road. I don’t know. Maybe it has to do with that crush she had on me when she was a kid.”
    “What have you done to try and put her mind at ease?” He stopped writing and sat back.
    “I tell her how I feel all the time. It’s exhausting.”
    “Joe, you and I both know that telling isn’t always the best way. We also both know Molly has trust issues that have nothing to do with you. Look, I can’t give you a roadmap here on how to resolve the issue. But I can tell you this. Molly’s a bright girl. If she still has doubts maybe she sees something you don’t. Something you’re holding back?”
    Sitting there, I carefully considered what he was saying. There was probably something to it. I wasn’t the most introspective person in the world. God knows the doc had hit me over the head with the obvious more than once.
    Looking up at him, I shrugged. “I don’t know.”
    “Well think about it and let me know next time if you come up with anything. Now how about you answer the original question?” I looked up at him blankly and he sighed. “I asked you how Molly turning you down made you feel. You said she turned you down twice?”
    I grudgingly nodded. “It hurt.”
    “Why, Joe? Surely even you should be used to the occasional bout of rejection. Did it hurt your pride? To have someone that you love reject you, to tell you they don’t want to marry you. That must have caused some reaction other than ‘it hurt’.” I glowered at him.
    “I was crushed, okay? Is that what you want to hear? I tried not to let it spill out, doc. She’s overwhelmed by all this. She just found out she is going to give birth to twins and she’s totally unprepared. Bogging her down with my bullshit seemed a little childish. How I feel doesn’t matter right now.” Dr. Greene looked at me and shook his head.
    “I sometimes wonder if you are just a giant kid inside a man’s body. It doesn’t matter? It matters a great deal. You’re about to be a father again. You are allowed to be freaked out about this. Based on your past, I am absolutely amazed that you aren’t a basket case right now.”
    “Because of Jack? I am freaking out, doc. But I’m dealing with it. Molly needs me to be strong, she doesn’t need me to be falling apart.”
    “Joe, no good is going to come from you bottling these things up. You’re talking about the woman you love. Soon to be mother of your twin babies. Molly needs your support, yes. But you need hers as well. Neither one of you should have to deal with a crisis without the other. The whole idea of having a partner is that there is someone there to help you. Someone to lean on when times get tough. It sounds to me like you’re completely focused on being her rock. Who’s going to end up being yours?”
    I had no response, so I sat mute.
    “If you feel comfortable with it, I’d like to visit with Molly sometime. I normally don’t do couples counseling, but I think in your case it might make a big difference. That is, if she’s willing to come. At the very least, I want you to continue your weekly visits. No more blowing them off, alright?”
    “I don’t miss that many…” I sounded a bit like a teenager negotiating with his father. The image of Molly in Dr. Greene’s office put me on edge. If she knew just how crazy I was, how far down the rabbit hole I’d once been…
    “Joe. You’ve been missing every other week all summer.” He came around his desk and perched on the edge. “I know you’re busy at work, but this needs to be a priority. Especially now. You follow me?”
    I nodded. He’d been right about almost everything he’d ever said to me, and if it meant pulling myself together for Molly, I’d do it. “You got it, doc.”

 

     

     
     
    “NO FLIPPIN’ WAY!” Stacy exclaimed as I took a bite of my wrap. I was starving by the time I woke up from my morning nap and figured I would drive to both food trucks and do a little quality control testing for lunch.