A Day in the
Life of a
Marriage
By Mark Goulston MD
Part 1
of
5
For
the next five weeks Couples Company the novella, A day in the Life
of a Marriage will be featured. See how much you relate to this
scenario. You may be surprised. This story is a compilation of Dr.
Mark’s thirty-two years in psychology and marriage counseling and
relates to many of the most common feelings, situations and issues
present in the modern marriage. Portions of this novella deal with
sexuality and this is not recommended for children under the age of
eighteen. Parental Guidance is strongly suggested.
Part 1:
Revulsion of one
once Revered
Midnight:
Jane stared into the darkness, her back facing that of her
husband John’s, as usual. Two hours earlier she feigned
sleep as he tried one of his many routines to turn her on
sexually, routines, which in reality usually turned her
off. Puzzling to her his idea that pushing his flabby
stomach up against her back. Squish squash, if six packs
existed, their presence remained unaccountable. Moving
about, increasingly amorous though terribly predictable, she
next felt a blast of hot moist air enveloping her neck with
cigarette laced alcohol marinated breath. |
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Part I of a V in
a Couples Company Exclusive Novella on Marriage covering one
day. |
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Cringing she muttered as if in
her sleep. Further maneuvering, in an attempt to do two things a
once, she quietly shuttered at the sliding his hand over the side of
her thigh, cresting her hip while pushing aside flannel to reach
inside cotton underwear to simply plunge his fingers into her
crotch. To her, how could he believe such crass insistence
produced anything more tangible than a wish she were dead?
Comprehending such lay far beyond her. Sexy, this was not.
Quietly feigning sleep
augmented with sleepy mutterings now regularly played into her
nighttime ritual. Within a few minutes John took the hint,
frustratingly opting to desist. On this occasion as on many, after
his clumsy attempts at foreplay received the patent eighty-six, he
arose from bed to find solace at his computer, lost for an hour
within a world he could control and affect, albeit simply bits and
bytes.
Back in bed, Jane fell asleep
briefly, awakening upon his return an hour later, though he did not
know her status. Within ten minutes, John fell into deep slumber,
alternating between raucous snores and periods of breathless silence
for what felt like an eternity. Silently, attempting not to move
with her hands buried beneath her body in a mummy like stance, Jane
willed a sleep, which would not come.
Ironically, now that the treat
of his imposing sex on her was over, instead of relief, she felt
sick. Though commencing as a dull pain, quickly the dread built to
full-fledged nausea. Reviewing the evening’s meals and snacks,
nothing she had eaten could cause such discomfort. Since her
thirty-fifth birthday three years prior, Jane fastidiously monitored
what she ate. Spice foods after 8:30PM were out unless she wanted
to be up all night burping up remnants and partially regurgitating
garlic up the back of her throat. However, this evening, roasted
chicken would hardly cause the nausea she felt.
At thirty-eight, she was too
young for menopause. Her cycle assured her this moment of
discomfort originated elsewhere than PMS and stress within her life
maintained itself at the same steady level, neither over-extended
nor placid, simply normal stress. As she thought about the possible
causes for her discomfort, she realized the sick feeling began when
John had left the bed earlier; now it intensified with his return
and quick decent into sleep. Astonished, she realized what the pain
was truly about. She was lonely.
Part II: A Day in the Life of a Marriage
The Thoughts
Keeping Her Awake
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