Looking around the room at the eight people seated in chairs in a circle, Andrew Morgan couldn't ever remember seeing a sadder group; not even at any of the many funerals he had attended. A very attractive woman sitting directly across from him about his age—early 40's—caught his eye. He noticed her rounded breasts bubbling out of her low cut top, and her shapely legs visible from her moderately short skirt, and was briefly amazed that she could arrest his attention. She glanced at him, offering a hint of a smile, which he returned, and they both quickly turned away as though such a gesture was not permitted.
A woman seated at three o'clock from him stood to speak. "You're all here because your spouse left you for someone else," Dr. Joanne Podesta began. "You've gone through ugly divorces and you're struggling with that or you wouldn't be here. I'm here to tell you that
you
did nothing to cause this. That may not be how some of you feel, it may be contrary to accusations made by those former spouses, but it's not your fault. That's not to say you're blameless. But remember, it takes two to tango.
"We live in a fast food society with a throwaway mentality. We get tired of our automobile, we buy a new one. We don't like where we live, we move. We lose interest in our job, we look for a new one. And with the divorce rate at over fifty percent, we fall out of love with our spouse, and instead of attempting to preserve or repair our marriage, we leave it. None of you voluntarily left your marriage. None of you are at fault.
"You
will
get through this, you
will
move on, and many of you will find someone else. And that is the goal of this group therapy. I want us to go around the room, introduce yourself, first name only, and tell a little about why you're here."
The gentleman to the doctor's right went first—Ralph—and spoke in a quiet, mumbling voice. Andrew Morgan barely heard him. But when the pretty woman he previously exchanged smiles with talked, he listened.
"I'm Nicole," she began nervously, tugging her skirt down another inch as though that made a difference. "My husband left me for another woman. I don't know why. I don't even know who she is and that bothers me. And I
don't
know what to do."
Andrew Morgan heard no one after that. It wasn't that what Nicole said was so profound; there was just something in her tone and demeanor that had him stealing glances at her whenever he could. And then it was his turn. And having not considered what he would say due to his preoccupation, with sentiments mirroring the object of his attention, he echoed, "I'm Andy, and not to sound redundant, my wife left me for another man. I don't know why, either. I also do not know who he is and that bothers me, as well. Likewise, I don't know what to do, nor do I know what I
want
to do."
There were polite chuckles; nothing demeaning, but it earned him another warm smile from Nicole.
"So, when a spouse decides to have an affair," Dr. Podesta posed, "what issue does that suggest?"
"Sex," Ralph spoke up. "My wife didn't seem to want it with me."
"Nor my husband with me," another woman concurred.
This led to a discussion about sex being the root cause for everyone's divorce. All attendees agreed that it had been an issue with their exes. Many felt that it had been a performance issue on their part, as though they were somehow not adequate in bed.
"What I'm hearing," Dr. Podesta summed up, "is that none of you thought you were any good in the sack." She phrased it in the vernacular to lighten the mood. It drew some snickers. "I'm here to tell you that it wasn't you."
"How can you say that?" another gent asked, then added with some embarrassment, "you never . . .
experienced
me."
Even Dr. Podesta chuckled at that. "It's all about compatibility. Unfortunately—or fortunately, depending on your point of view—the only test is doing it with someone. You and your exes might not have been compatible. But that is not to say that your next partner won't think you're the greatest lover ever. Now, I'm not suggesting that you start hanging out in singles bars. I
am
telling you not to sell yourself short. You might hit it off perfectly in bed with your next partner. If not, learn what that person's sexual likes and dislikes are. Sexual compatibility is like love; most often it's something you have to really work at.
"Our time is just about up, but what I'd like you to try to do before next time is to have sex if at all possible. I know that's easier said than done. But if you have the opportunity,
do it
. Don't obsess about it, don't do anything illegal to get it, and certainly don't
pay
for it." Now there were nervous giggles. "What I want you to discover is that there
is
someone out there for you. And I'm not suggesting that you enter into a relationship. Basically, I just want you to get laid!"
Dr. Podesta liked to end her sessions on a humorous note, and that certainly did it.
* * *