let’s try to remain civil here. Each of you feels the other isn’t listening, but this can’t be resolved until each of you is ready to simply hear what the other says. Now, let’s give Elaine a chance to explain one more time why she loves the field of genetics.”
As he tried to find common ground, Jake was reminded of another case he’d been involved in, one that had haunted him since he’d offered his opinion four years ago. This afternoon he’d received a phone call from the guidance counselor at the local high school, asking him to be part of a meeting involving the young woman from that case. She’d been in some sort of altercation in which she’d been injured. The school psychologist was ill and he’d requested that Jake attend tomorrow’s meeting in his stead.
As Elaine finished her explanation, he turned to Mrs. Parker, took a deep breath and used a gentle, inclusive tone when he addressed her. “Can you speak to what your daughter has just said? How you feel about it?”
“What do you mean?”
“Why don’t you rephrase what your daughter just told you in your own words? It would give you and Elaine a chance to understand each other better.”
As he proceeded to engage with the Parkers his mind kept going to the call he’d gotten. The school had identified recent issues with the teenager that, when combined with the incident today, had the administration worried. She was a high achiever both scholastically and in extracurricular activities but was now getting into fights and not doing well in class.
The student’s name was Shannon Taylor—a name he wasn’t likely to forget. His testimony and opinion had nearly resulted in Shannon living with her father and leaving her mother behind. After observing Andrea Taylor—a mother whose obsessive need for control had manifested in explosive bouts of anger that raised Shannon’s anxiety—he’d felt compelled to suggest Shannon live with the father, who seemed much more easygoing and less controlling.
At the time it seemed like the best recommendation, but he knew in his heart that he’d acted out of his own deep-seated fears. The year before he met the Taylors, his wife, Maria, a strong-willed, brilliant psychologist and his business partner, had died giving birth to a daughter who had never drawn a breath. Maria had been addicted to painkillers as a result of a car accident and had refused treatment for her addiction, yet Jake hadn’t taken precautions to prevent a pregnancy. He’d failed his wife and his daughter.
An outburst from Don Parker forced his mind back to the issues at hand. “I think what I’m going to get each of you to do is to write down the reasons for and against Elaine going to the University of Michigan. I want each of you to give two reasons why it’s a good idea and why it’s not.”
“It’s not a good idea,” Don Parker said emphatically.
“Just be willing to remain calm and do as I ask,” Jake said, glancing at each in turn to get their consent to what he considered to be a very simple exercise. He’d run out of ideas with these parents and was quite frankly willing to admit defeat if something didn’t change soon.
Watching Don Parker’s angry approach, he was reminded of another parent’s similar response.
When faced with Andrea Taylor’s behavior and her anger about his role in the child-custody issue, he’d been reminded of his wife and her response when confronted with someone who didn’t agree with her. He couldn’t help but feel that Andrea, like Maria, was intolerant of anyone else’s opinion.
He shouldn’t have let similarities to his wife have any role in his assessment of Andrea Taylor. His personal feelings were not relevant to the case. That his past behavior still sparked guilt, made him all too aware of his fallibilities.
The last time he’d seen Andrea Taylor, she’d been very angry. While he could understand her reasons for feeling that way, he did have to take into account the fact that she had anger issues and hadn’t sought any form of professional help to deal with them. She didn’t have problems with drug use. And as far as he knew, she was now a successful real estate agent who worked hard to provide a good life for Shannon.
But four years ago Shannon had been a child struggling with her parents’ acrimonious divorce, which made her frightened not only of the future but also of her father moving away and her mother’s sudden outbursts. Andrea had been a very driven woman determined to control all aspects of her daughter’s life.
He hoped things had changed since then. Still, he wasn’t looking forward to meeting her again.
He refocused on the parents in session with him now, wanting to yell at them. He wanted to shout how lucky they were to have a daughter, how good their lives could be if they would only stop and listen to what their daughter wanted out of life.
Instead, he calmly reminded them of the listening strategies they had agreed upon last session.
* * *
WHILE SHE WAITED for Shannon to return, Andrea’s loneliness pressed around her like a blanket. She remembered Shannon’s first day at kindergarten—how impossibly empty the house had seemed when Andrea returned from walking Shannon the two blocks to the school...
Her cell rang.
“I got your message, and I’m on my way from Chicago.” At the sound of her mother’s voice, Andrea’s anxiety eased. “I’ll be there in a couple of hours. How is Shannon?”
“She’s been checked over, a few tests run and I’m taking her home soon.”
“How are you doing?” her mother asked softly.
“I’m—I’m worried. Scott called me, and he’s angry.”
“That man! What is the matter with him?”
Andrea rubbed her forehead, her mind racing over the past few hours. “You know Scott. Nothing’s changed.”
“Listen, honey. Forget him. You take care of yourself. I’m sure everything will be fine. Tell Shannon I love her and I’ll see her as soon as I get back in town. In the meantime, if you need anything, my cell phone is on.”
“Thanks, Mom,” Andrea said, pushing her hair off her face. “Call me when you get home.”
“I will.”
Andrea hung up. What was taking so long? Had they found something? Were they consulting with another doctor? She wasn’t very good at waiting for anything, but especially not in this situation. She leaned against the wall just inside the cubicle.
If anything was wrong with Shannon, Andrea would have to get Scott involved, something she dreaded. As usual, she hadn’t gotten anything remotely like kindness from him, but maybe if she’d tried a little harder, she might have been able to calm him.
She clutched her cell phone, checking for messages. None. Scott could have called back if he was so concerned about Shannon. Thinking about her ex made her head pound and her neck tighten. Why did this have to happen now, when her life was going so well and Shannon seemed so happy? Shannon’s sudden interest in talking to her father felt like a betrayal of the relationship they’d built. Andrea tried to move her thoughts away from Scott but couldn’t escape the hurt that one phone call sparked. She feared Scott would use this incident to drive a wedge between her and Shannon.
If Scott saw this as a chance to take Shannon to join him and his new wife and children, knowing Shannon’s desire
