Strange Attraction (editing/rewriting)

XIV

After our therapy session the next week. We went and saw the house. We agreed to wait before we were sure about this house before bringing up the idea of moving to Dr Zurer. We also had no doubt she would be cautious of the idea so Finn and I thought it would be good to show initiative and progress as our own personal homework.

As far as sharing a room, Zurer recommended treating our relationship like we were dating and learning about each other again. She said it would be wise to take things slow and be mindful of one another, but to also do what felt right. We explored more of our issues with her many of which were just about how toxic our fights could get under the right circumstances. I knew a therapist couldn't tell their patients to break up or stay together since the whole point of couples therapy was to do what the couple wanted whether that be splitting amicably or working through problems, but I had to applaud her for her poker face. I feel like had I been a therapist for a couple like ours, I'd feel like they were a lost cause. Of course we kept some things private because both Finn and I feared it would complicate therapy so we tried our best to convey what we meant, but also keeping what we truly wanted to say a little vague. For example, I'd describe the arguments are toxic or aggressive where Finn and I knew that it meant he could get violent, but to the the therapist, it meant yelling and saying hurtful things. Or at least we thought she wasn't picking up on what we wanted to keep a secret.

The day after Finn and I made the appointment for the walkthrough, he told his parents about wanting to move out of the family home. It wasn't the home he had grew up in. Finn grew up in Brooklyn Heights, but the manor his parents retired to had been in the family since Finn's dad was able to make it in New York. After he secured their future in the empire state, he bought the house as a present for his family. The house also doubled as their staycation home after Finn and his sister were born. His parents were against the idea, but ultimately gave in when Finn mentioned passing the house down to his sister when she came back. Or at least offering it to her. His sister, Frankie, was an NYU graduate where she studied history mostly. When we first started dating, he told me she started out in psychology, but since shes lazy, she switched to history. He wondered how she got into NYU in the first place and chalked it up to his dad having a hand in it. Frankie was currently resided in the bay area of Cali with her hippie friends, but recently took a trip to Japan to get enlightened and connect with nature. I forgot to mention... his sister identifies as a starving artist and she mainly tries to write poems, but everyone knows her parents fund her lifestyle. When I first met her, she seemed nice, but it quickly became apparent to me that she was obsessed with this new persona she created on the west coast and it bled in the way she talked to people. She was more passive aggressive and surface level wise than anyone I had ever met. Last I heard, she was traveling a village with a native named Keiko and learning how to write haikus.

Finn's parents came to the house earlier than intended, but they wanted to spend time with the kids before we left. We hadn't told them we were in couples therapy. This was Finn's idea since he was worried they'd make a big deal out of it.

The realtors were waiting for us on the porch of the home while we drove up to the front of the door. Finn parked right behind the classic red corvette of the realtors. Doesn't get anymore cliche than that. When we filed out of the car and met the realtors near the steps of the house, I learned that they were a couple. They seemed eager to unload this property, but there didn't seem to be anything wrong with it. They introduced themselves as Claire and Abel Brown.

We split into couples while viewing the house. The man went with Finn's parents under the assumption they'd take more convincing and he'd be the right guy for it. I subconsciously felt bad for him because Finn's mother had a southern charm to her, but could really ask the hard hitting questions. Whereas, Finn's dad didn't get anywhere by just listening to what people had to say. He was bit combative sometimes which was a fault of his, but I had no doubt that if there was anything wrong with the house, then they'd find out.