KEEPING THE WITSONS TOGETHER
Another slice of life at St. Dunstan's; for background, please consult the previous episodes Last in a flock of four. Feedback welcome.
"Father, you've got to help us. You're the only one we trust, and we want to save our marriage. Please, Vicar, please."
I sat back in my chair as I regarded Percy Witson and his wife Peggy. Percy is a handyman in the area, doing a lot of odd jobs around the Parish and working with his buddy Stan Dover he made enough to get by. Peggy is a receptionist for a local surgery, her hours are regular. They're both around thirty and have been married for ten years, have no children and their relationship was deteriorating. Percy's nose was on the large side and his eyes bugged out, and Peggy's nose was very small and her eyes deep set; both would be called rather plain. Average height and weight, not extremely beautiful, but not repulsive; good hearted dependable people who could once be called the bedrock of the Empire.
Why did they come to me? My marriage hadn't worked, and most of the happy couples I knew, like my classmates Terry and Gerry in Chicago, were so natural together that I believed fate destined them for each other and nothing could pry them apart. There were things from my parent's relationship I could probably use, as well as my training from Seabury Seminary in Chicago, but I felt so inadequate to help Percy and Peggy. The only reason I could justify for trying is they were simple people who thought I was a holy man, and they probably wouldn't accept a referral to a marriage counselor.
"All right, Percy, Peggy, I'll do what I can, but you'll have to trust me even if I ask you to do some things you think are silly."
Peggy leaned forward. "Of course, Father. I'm willing to do anything to save my marriage."
"All right, maybe the first thing to do is find out where you are now. Percy, what do you find most affirming about Peggy?"
"What's affirming mean?"
"He means something that makes you feel good about yourself, you daft man."
"Oh. Well, she does the washing regular."
"I see. Peggy, what do you find most affirming about Percy."
"He brings home his checks."
"Good, good," I said, while my mind went into overdrive. My God, what's holding these people together, habit? Well, got to try the dark side. I took a deep breath and said: "Well, what do you find most challenging about Peggy, Percy?" He put his hand on his mouth to think, and before Peggy could help me, I helped myself: "What is it that bothers you most about Peggy?"
"Where do I begin? I have to say that she always seems to think I should be somebody else."
"Ooo, that's a surprise. I'd have said that his problem is that I never what to shag him when he wants to shag."
"And what to you find most challenging about Percy?"
"He never wants to shag."
"That's not fair, I gave you a good shag a month ago, nearly wore myself out and fell asleep at work next day."
"Some shag it was; I could have watched Telly while you were shagging me and been just as entertained."
"Well, who do you want in your bed, Pierce Brosnan?"
"Stephen Fry would be more stimulating than you."
"Stop, stop, for the love of God, stop," I cried out. They were looking at each other with fire in their eyes, and I was afraid I'd lose them before we could even get started. "It's almost like you two have to start all over again. Starting over in some ways would be a better idea. All right, you've got to learn how to talk to each other, communication is the main thing."
Percy gave me a dubious look. "Can we learn in fifteen minutes, Vicar? I've got to be at work soon, and Peg's got to be at the office as well."
"All right, let's do a little bit per day, let's try it that way. When you get home tonight, I want you to talk to each other, but no one is allowed to say anything negative. If don't can't say anything nice, don't say anything. Not that you shouldn't talk; just don't talk about things that will start an argument. Can you do that?"
"Sure, Vicar," Peggy said, "We can do that."
"Yea, Vic. We'll give it a try."
"Great, come around tomorrow at the same time and tell me how you did. Have a great day." They left, and I put my head in my hands. Monday included a Diocesan Planning Commission, which was an exercise in futility, and a crabby old rag and bone man ranted in my office for two straight hours in the afternoon about how the country was going to pot before asking for a handout. I checked his background and found out he was a fraud, and tossed him out gladly. Scotch made the evening bearable.
The next day, they filed into my office solemnly. I sat at my desk and looked at them; they looked at me. At last I said: "How's it going?"
"All right, Vic," Percy said.
"Yeah, all right," Peggy added.
"How did things go at home last night?"
"Peg made a roast that was all right, boiled potato, carrots. I ate it all up."
"Percy took the trash out to the dustbin."
"Yes, and we talked, Vicar."
"We talked."
More silence hung heavily in my study. "Well, what did you talk about?"
"Well, we talked about the weather."
"There's a new show on the Telly tomorrow, with Ardal O'Hanlon, we talked about watching it."
"He's dead funny, Vic. We both laugh at Ardal no matter what he's in, he's so goofy."
"Did you talk about politics, what's happening in Parliament?"
Peggy sat straight up in her chair. "We're both Tories, Vic, and Labour is ruining this country, Tony Blair is an evil man."