I STORM into Doc’s shop, stomping on shadows and oil stains.
Last night… happened. A glorious disaster.
To say my plans for a romantic evening hit an iceberg and sank to the depths would be putting it lightly.
Doc peers at me from beyond an open hood. After so many weeks, everything about him is familiar-from his dark, all-knowing eyes, to the oil-stained overalls, to the goatee threaded with silver.
He grunts when I stop in front of him. “I wasn’t expecting you today.” “I need to talk to you.”
“You could have called.” He grabs a rag that looks older than my father and wipes his hands against it.
“I didn’t have the patience.” My eyes barrel into his. Normally, I run from Doc’s gaze. There’s something intense about it. Dangerous in a way that threatens to unveil everything a man tries to hide.
Today, I’m not intimidated. I want him to unearth the things I can’t understand. Obviously I’m missing something. Over the past few weeks, I’ve thrown my all into my marriage and I’m still ramming against a brick wall.
“What happened?” Doc nods to the tool box.
Metal clanks loudly as I sift through the tools. “I want my wife.” “So I’ve heard.” He bobs his head.
“She’s the one. I’ve chosen her. I’m going to settle down and dedicate my life to her.”
“So you say.”
My side-glare doesn’t rattle him at all, so I continue my rant. “Last night, I took her out to a nice dinner…”
“Mm-hm.” Doc accepts the wrench and loosens a bolt on the engine. “… I complimented her. Gave her all my attention. Pulled out all the
stops.”
Doc tilts his head toward me. “And?”
“And she blew up.” I throw my hands wide to indicate how much of a stink Harriet raised. “Over nothing, Doc. Nothing.”
His eyebrows pull in slightly. I pretend not to notice the disapproval in his expression. There’s no way this old man can find fault with me. Not after all the effort I’ve been making to show I’m fully committed to Harriet. “It’s not even what we argued about that bothers me. It’s the fact that
she ignored all that I’ve shown her. I’m working on myself. I’m trying to change. I’m being transparent. I took that phone call in front of her rather than slinking away and making her wonder. But she didn’t see any of that. It’s almost like she was waiting to turn on me, Doc.”
“I told you-”
“Yes, yes.” I jump in. “You told me to date her. And I heard you. I did. I am. Why do you think I’ve been taking her out to eat, buying her flowers and driving her wherever she wants to go? It’s called effort, Doc. I’m giving one hundred percent. And I’m not asking for a lot in return.” I wave a hand firmly. “Only that she not bite my head off for no good reason.”
Doc arches an eyebrow. “Are you done?” “Yes.” I breathe out.
“What happens when an athlete gets out of shape?” Doc’s voice is low as he focuses on connecting damaged lines with a pair of miniature pliers.
I tilt my head back and groan. “Another athlete analogy? I prefer the car ones.”
He slants me a sharp look.
I grudgingly answer. “They lose their skills. It’s like someone taking an eraser and wiping out half an equation on a whiteboard.”
Doc scrapes a thumb under his chin. “Interesting.” “It’s really not.”
He almost smiles. “Do you think you had a marriage that was in shape or out of shape?”
I pin my lips together.
Doc stops his work on the car and turns those laser-eyes on me.
“You’re going off-topic. We’re talking about Harriet-”
“We’re talking about you.” Doc’s voice echoes through the garage. I fold my arms over my chest.
“Do you ever notice that a politician always knows what is right from wrong when he’s in the opposition?” Doc hands me the scanner and tucks the wires neatly back into their ports. “A politician knows exactly how to woo a citizen during campaign season. They’ll spend millions on commercials that show their good side. They’ll walk the streets and shake hands with people they don’t really care about just to get a vote.”
“And how does this relate to me?” I tap my foot impatiently.
Doc fiddles with the wires in the engine again. “When you were trying to campaign for your wife’s vote, you knew exactly what to say and exactly how to make it work.”
There it is.
Doc never goes where I expect him to take me.
He drills a finger against his temple. “Everything you need to date your wife is inside you already. Tap in and get it out.”
“Why is it always the same answer with you, Doc?” My voice whips the air. “Did you run out of fresh advice?”
Unruffled, Doc says, “You’ve dated multiple women at the same time.
That means you are an excellent dater.”
I flinch. Go ahead. Don’t pull any punches.
“Just as you can use your head to get other women while you’re married, you can take all that energy and focus it on your wife.”
The insult makes me bristle. “I am and it’s not working.”
“Because you still have room to grow.” He wipes his nose with a finger. “Okay. Fine. So tell me what I need to do.”
“Date her.”
I scoff. This mechanic is driving me crazy.
“What was the condition of your heart when you were dating? Did you try everything and get frustrated or was it that you tried everything and, when that still didn’t work, you went after her harder, refusing to give up?”
“I-”
He lifts a hand to stop the complaint. “Don’t answer that. Let’s talk about womanese now.”
“Woman…? Did you just make up a word?”
“When you date someone, you’re studying them to discover which key works in their heart. But a woman’s heart is more than a door. It speaks a language.” Doc nods at me. “This is called womanese. It’s the language a woman speaks. You have to listen deeply to hear it, because what she’s saying with her mouth is covering what is coming from her heart.”
I’m barely following, but I think I’ve got enough to get the gist. “Fine.
How do I do that?” I lift a hand. “And do not say by dating her.”
“By being sensitive.” He wags a finger at me. “Your job is not to follow what comes from her mouth but to follow the heart that’s feeding it.”
Should I be writing notes or something?
Doc studies me. “You said your wife got angry ‘over nothing’ last night, but a wife is a mirror. What did you give her that she reflected back to you?”
Nervously, I shuffle from one foot to the next. “All I did was say I’d cover for my friend Patrick. But when she seemed to get miffed about that, I told her I wouldn’t. And that still didn’t work. She stormed out of the car, yelling that I should do ‘whatever I want’.” I fold my arms over my chest. “You’re saying she didn’t really mean those words?”
“It’s not that she didn’t mean it, but those words are only the smoke. The fire is burning within. When you deal with the fire, the smoke will stop.”
With all these analogies, it feels like I’m talking to a fortune cookie. “I have been trying to deal with the fire. I’m romancing her with everything I have and it still blew up in my face.”
“How can you deal with the fire if you can’t locate it?” Doc shoots back. “If you can’t see what is coming from her heart, then you’re helpless in resolving the situation.”
“Okay. What do you think she’s saying, Doc? Since you’re so great at interpreting women?”
“That’s the best question you’ve asked so far.” He rattles off a list from the top of his head like it’s nothing. “She could be saying that you are just like your friend, and thus, you are not trustworthy. She could be saying that, by encouraging him with that behavior, you don’t have a problem with it. She could be saying that she sees no hope in you changing. Or she’s disappointed because she thought you were changing but she might have been wrong.” He delivers every line with finesse. “These are some of the possible things she was saying.”
“I’ll admit. You’re good.”
“With practice, you can be too.” “I doubt that.”
“It’s possible to read your wife’s heart if you study.”
“So what do I do to uncover her heart as soon as possible?”
“I can’t force your ears to hear.” He tugs on his lobe, leaving a black mark. “You have to seek it out. And remember that if you respond to what she’s saying from her mouth-like you did last night-you’re going to get yourself in trouble. In fact, every answer you give to the words coming from the mouth will be the wrong one. Worse, you’ll appear to be insensitive, insulting and uncaring.”
“That’s…” I shake my head. “That’s a lot. Women should come with a translator.”
“When you deal with your wife from now on, listen to her heart. You want to avoid dealing with the smoke before addressing the fire.” Doc nods to the office. “Think about that until we meet again. You can leave your payment with the secretary.”
“Yeah.” I start to walk away. Doc calls me back. “Jerrison.” “What?”
“When an out-of-shape athlete disciplines himself and pushes his body to the point that he can compete again, what happens?”
My heart bucks. Have I ever met someone who could break lessons down like that? It’s scary how good he is.
“What happens?” Doc presses.
“With that kind of determination, he wins the game.” Doc nods. “You can do it.”
I jut my chin down and march away from the shop determined to do just that.