Freedom Fries and Cafe Creme (25 page)

I glanced down at my curves, which Paul said he liked so much.

‘That's a fair point, but what about your health and wellbeing?'

No answer. Just another big sigh.

‘Do you walk sometimes?' I asked.

I loved walking, and I was lucky to live close enough to work to walk there most days. It was a pleasant route through a park and attractive neighbourhoods, and it took me only twenty minutes.

‘I walk Bobo twice a day.'

Suddenly there was hope!

‘About five minutes each time, and that's good enough for the old dog.' Dominic added, ‘For me as well. I get tired quickly.'

My hopes vanished.

‘Try walking a little bit every day. It would help.'

‘There's a Fifty State Burger across the street from my house. And they can deliver twenty-four hours a day.'

‘You could move away from Fifty State Burger,' I suggested.

‘Believe it or not, two months after my wife and I bought the house they built that Fifty State Burger across the street!'

It was true that there seemed to be a Fifty State Burger on every corner in the city and especially in the suburbs.

‘You said your wife wants to leave you. How did she tell you?'

‘She just said that she was tired of me and that she wanted to meet someone else. Pretty common nowadays, isn't it?'

‘Unfortunately, yes.'

True enough. Most of my clients came to me for therapy following a separation. It could be a frightening experience for many people. The person who left was
often to blame, but I could feel a certain sympathy for the wife. But I wondered: had she ever tried to help Dominic?

‘She was a little overweight as well. You know, working crazy hours, sitting at a desk all day and eating fast food for lunch.'

And having to live with I-am-not-working-or-taking-care-of-myself Dominic …

‘Then a woman started work at her company and talked to Tiffany about how her coach had saved her life. My wife decided to call him.'

‘Do you think there's something going on between him and your wife?'

‘No, I think he prefers men.'

‘It's interesting to see how some people can have an impact on others,' I asserted.

‘I guess that's the whole point of hiring a coach, isn't it?'

‘Indeed.'

‘It costs enough money, that's for sure. But I don't say anything. It's Tiffany's money, after all.'

I decided to try once again to get him to talk about his health.

‘I'm concerned about you, Dominic. Um, health-wise, how are you coping?'

‘OK, I guess. I don't see doctors much. For what they have to say, it's just not worth it.'

‘What made you decide to come see me, then?'

‘My wife. It's a part of the divorce procedure, she says. And I said to myself, well, why not, after all? I like the kind of relationship Tony Soprano has with his therapist.'

I was speechless.

‘It's a good show, don't you think?'

Not really …

I'd watched one episode when I'd been staying at a hotel, and since everyone was talking about the show I felt I had to catch it. Well, there was far too much violence, and far too many F-words for my taste.

‘I don't have a TV,' I said, almost apologising.

‘What?' Dominic shouted, almost falling off the sofa. ‘I've never met anyone who doesn't have a TV!'

It hadn't always been that way. One evening, almost ten years previously, our son had broken our TV irreparably while he was trying to fix it. We'd got rid of it, and Paul and I just hadn't bought a new one. We read more, and often went to the movies. And Manhattan had so much entertainment to offer!

‘Yeah,
The Sopranos
is not quite
proper
enough for you, I suppose. But you might have found it interesting since the therapist is one of the main characters. It's a really good show,' Dominic affirmed, nodding his large head with conviction.

I went over my notes quickly.

My patient let out another big sigh. ‘Yes, it's all about personal revenge. I'm not only a big fat wimp, I also want Fifty State Burger and Cable Boon to pay for what they've done to me!'

Right …

‘Tell me about your daily routine.'

‘I get up at nine. I have breakfast.'

‘What do you usually eat for breakfast?'

‘Bacon, sausages, fried potatoes and a cola. You know, it's really convenient, the things you can buy today. Everything is precooked, and all in the same package! You just put it all in the microwave.'

I wondered if even performing such a simple task was a major effort for him.

‘Then I take a shower.'

I'm glad to hear it
.

‘Then, at ten, the best of my Cable Boon premium package programmes starts.'

‘And you sit down for the rest of the day?'

Dominic seemed hesitant. Was he going to be able to accept the fact that he needed to make drastic changes to his lifestyle?

‘Well, yes, most of the time. Except when I have to take Bobo for a walk, and when I go out to Fifty State Burger. What else do you expect me to do in my condition?'

‘What more do I need? I feed my body and my mind. Nothing else matters. Of course more sex would be appreciated, but, well …'

Let's keep that for another session
.

‘What's your favourite Cable Boon programme?' I asked dutifully, though I really didn't want to know more about Cable Boon, which was famous for its dimwitted drama and comedy shows, game shows, trashy movies, reality shows and incredibly biased, phoney news programmes.

Television, and especially Cable Boon, had been described as ‘the opiate of the people' in the previous month's psychology journal: a scourge of society that
encouraged people's tendency to live vicariously through others and to believe everything they saw on TV while being completely incapable of managing their own lives.

After Dominic had told me all about his favourite programmes, I asked, ‘What about watching the healthy food channel? It might give you some ideas for healthy meals for you and your family.'

Dominic looked at me strangely, as if I'd suddenly started speaking Chinese. Then he smiled, his handsome eyes turning back to the picture on the wall.

A couple of minutes passed in absolute silence. I waited. I wanted him to think a little.

While I waited, I envisaged him as a typical couch potato, eating peanuts and potato chips, quaffing beers, and ordering greasy meals from Fifty State Burger when he was too tired even to walk across the street. Bobo, the old dog lying at his feet, probably ate the same terrible food. Poor creature!

I wasn't sure whether to feel sorry for Dominic or not. After all, I firmly believe that our destiny is mostly in our own hands. Who else was to blame for his situation if not himself?

‘Tell me about your girls.'

‘They're ashamed of me. They're both thin, nineteen years old. They're in their first year at college. They eat sushi and bean curd, just like their mother. I don't know much more about them than that because we hardly talk.'

Well, if Dominic didn't spend the whole day in front of the TV there would probably be a bit more conversation in the house.

After heaving another sigh, he went on, ‘You know, having a father who stays home is a pretty shameful thing for the girls. Men are supposed to be the strong financial pillar in a family and bring home the money.'

‘It's pretty common to see men nowadays who are unemployed or decide to work at home to take care of the kids,' I asserted.

‘Not in my world, Dr Elaine.'

He was right. I must have seemed like a dreamer to him, someone from another planet. Men were still feeling the pressure to be successful at work, and bring home money to support the family.

‘Would you like your wife to stay with you?'

Dominic fell silent once again. He possibly didn't know how to answer this question: he either didn't want to be left alone, or, like so many men, he needed a woman only to cook his meals, do his laundry and provide occasional sex.

‘You know, Dominic, you
can
tell me.'

‘Yes, of course. I've got nothing to hide from you. At this point, how could I? Besides, Dr Elaine, I can talk to you so easily. But, you see, the thing is, I don't know if I want my wife to stay.'

He looked at the picture facing him even more intently.

The phone rang. Alice told me that my next patient had arrived.

‘Do you wish to come back next week?' I asked Dominic, smiling.

‘Why not?' he answered immediately. ‘You're the only woman I've had a proper conversation with for a long time, and I really love this picture.'

‘Matisse is my favourite painter.'

No reaction.

‘What are you going to do for Christmas?' I asked.

‘My wife and girls will go see my mother-in-law in Tennessee, and I'll stay here. It's not a problem because I love the TV programmes at Christmas.'

‘Sure,' I muttered under my breath, thinking about the cakes I had to make that evening because the children and Paul's parents were coming for Christmas. It was the best gift we could have wished for.

‘But you know that the festive season is supposed to be all about love and forgiveness? Why don't you try to forget about taking your revenge on Fifty State Burger and the cable company and think about some good things you can do for yourself?'

‘I know I'm not supposed to ask questions, but are you going away for the holidays?' Dominic asked rather than answering me.

I told him that it was a time of year when my patients needed me more than ever, so we usually stayed here in Manhattan, and our families came to us.

‘Have a beautiful Christmas, Dominic! I'll see you next week then.'

We set a time for our next meeting, and Dominic heaved himself off the sofa and left, a broad smile on his generous features.

I told Alice to send in my next patient in ten minutes. I needed time to think over the somewhat odd conversation from my session with Dominic. I quickly wrote down a few more comments and some questions that I intended
to ask Dominic next week. I wanted to help him. He was very touching, in an exasperating yet perfectly honest way. I had a feeling that he would somehow manage to extricate himself from his dreadful situation. My first impressions were rarely wrong.

For a moment I studied the painting on the wall: Matisse's
La Chambre Rouge
. In this painting I always saw my own mother placing fresh fruit on the table in a stylised atmosphere in which life and food were richly celebrated.

The phone rang again reminding me of my next patient. I checked her file: Carla, a very friendly woman whose eyes were also constantly on the Matisse. It reminded her of the still-life exhibition she'd seen in Paris in January when she'd been on a culinary tour of the French capital.

I hoped that Carla was getting over the fact that Armand and his little daughter, Juliette, were moving out and that she'd decided, as I'd suggested, to work part time, doing the shopping and cooking herself since she had learnt so much from Armand. That would also mean she'd have more time to visit Armand and Juliette, who were going to live in Brooklyn with Armand's girlfriend, Liana. There was no reason why Carla shouldn't cook a wonderful Christmas dinner for herself, her husband Rick, Armand, Liana and little Juliette. I resolved to give her my recipes for the certosino and mincemeat cake. Christmas is always such a great time for food, comfort and joy!

This traditional Italian Christmas cake is best made at least three days ahead. A week is even better.

A quick and easy Christmas cake that busy people, like Elaine and Paul, can make at the last minute.