The Price of Free

“I just can’t be alone,” Rachel cried. “It’s been over fifteen years since I’ve even dated and well,” she sniffled, “I still love him.”

Rachel’s husband of over ten years had informed her over dinner, while the kids were at their friend’s house, that he wanted a divorce. He gave no explanation, simply got up from the dining room table, put his dish in the sink, packed a suitcase and left. She was baffled.

“He’s a great dad. He’s never missed a school function and we’ve never been apart for more than a couple nights in our whole relationship! He’s like a stranger now!”

Being a psychic and seeing can sometimes be painful, because what I saw as an explanation was not what Rachel wanted to hear, nor one that she would accept, at least right then. I also knew that she wanted me to tell her that her husband was going to wake up and everything was going to be just fine, but I didn’t see that and telling her what she wanted, when it wasn’t the truth, wasn’t the way I operated. But I had to tell her something, yet all that came out of my mouth was ‘I’m sorry’. We then went on to discuss ways for her to cope no matter what happened, although I did see a divorce within a year and gently told her that.

A hug on her departure she asked me if they truly got divorced would she be okay, and would she be free.

Free.

I thought her chose of word was unusual, although in the session I saw that both Rachel and her husband were co-dependent and smothering because neither trusted the other, not because they loved spending time with with one another. After all the years it became the normal.

It was six months later that Rachel came in for a follow up appointment. Her wedding ring off and dark circles under her eyes. The divorce had just been finalized and she was still trying to cope with the changes and, as she put it, feeling free. I offered these suggestions, and although it came with a price to her and her kids, a year later she was doing much better and feeling more like herself than she had in years.