Kaleidoscope

Chapter Forty-Eight

The walls closed in on the Fosters as they gathered in the waiting room for their session. Jen and her dad were seated next to each other when the rest of the family walked in. The receptionist told them that it would be a few minutes before Dr. Connelly was ready for them. The second hand on the clock was moving interminably slow as Theresa rolled up next to her dad and gave him a hug. Danny went to sit next to Jen, leaving Rose to fend for herself. Obvious lines of conflict had been drawn.

Dr. Connelly came out to greet the family and ushered them in. He introduced himself to Jen and Danny and asked them to have a seat. The chairs were arranged in a gentle arc so that the family could all see and address one another. The room was quiet as all waited for the doctor to begin.

"First let me say that I'm glad to see all of you and equally pleased to meet Jen and Danny. As you know, I've been seeing Theresa for over a year and your mom and dad just recently. I thought it was time to have the whole family together because there seem to be some cross-over issues going on here and I'd like to get them out in the open.

"Let me start by saying it is brave of all of you to be willing to discuss your feelings with each other. It's not always a pleasant process, but I hope I can alleviate some of the discomfort for you."

His comments were met with dead silence until Theresa spoke up.

"Dr. Connelly is the best and got me where I am today. Please, everybody, just relax and say freely what's been on your minds."

"Correction, Theresa," said Dr. Connelly. "YOU got yourself where you are today. I'm just the catalyst. Now, who would like to tell me why we're here today?"

The minute hand on the clock seemed to stop until Danny finally spoke.

"Because we're messed up."

"What do you mean by messed up."

"I mean that we're totally dysfunctional as a family."

"We're not dysfunctional," Rose chimed in. "We just have a few issues to be resolved."

"Anyone else have an opinion?" Dr. Connelly asked.

Tom began. "I guess I started to feel second place to the children in Rose's life. It was always about them, and I was never included. It wasn't a competition. I just wanted to be part of everything. Instead, I often felt like an outsider, especially after Theresa's accident. Rose turned completely inward, and I couldn't break through. I ended up acting very stupidly by having the affair and then leaving."

"Rose, would you care to address this with Tom?"

Rose squirmed in her chair as her face blanched at being put on the spot.

"I thought Tom and I were secure enough for him to handle my preoccupation with the children. I guess I was wrong."

Danny, who had gone quiet spoke again, choosing his words carefully as he dredged up his past.

"It was always about Jen and Theresa. I was never part of the equation."

"That's because you had to go so far away to school instead of staying to help with your sister," countered Rose. "You left US."

"I think you have that backward, Mom. I left because I wasn't wanted until Theresa had her accident. I was never noticed."

Dr. Connelly, wanting to bring the others in, asked how anyone else felt about what had just been said. "What about you, Jen. How were things at home in your eyes?"