Unlike their previous appointment, all parties managed to arrive prior to the beginning of the session, but there was no time to celebrate the small stuff as both of the couple had arrived looked very hostile towards one another. The sat about as far away from one another as the couch would allow, and they could barely look at one another. Rather that start off with the usual small talk, Jefferson sat there and looked at them both as their anger seems to brew like a stew that had been on the oven for countless hours.

“Somebody isn’t happy here,” Jefferson finally said, “And I realize that’s the reason you’re here but his is more hostility than usual.”

“Somebody is never happy,” Tom replied, “But it’s not my job to make her happy. I’m her husband, not a goddamn clown.”

“He has a point there, Vicki.” Jefferson said, “He’s not responsible for your happiness anymore than you are for his. Is this kind of anger normal for your marriage or is it the anomaly.”

“It’s the norm,” Tom answered, “We fight often.”

“About what?” Jefferson asked.

“It fells like about everything,” Tom again answered, “I can’t remember the last time we actually agreed about something. I don’t want to fight her, but it’s not my fault she’s so pigheaded sometimes.”

“That’s convenient coming from a pig,” Vicki spat back at her husband.

“I understand your frustration,” Jefferson replied, “But this is not the place for name calling.”

“He called me pigheaded,” She responded, “How is that different?”

“Pigheaded is slang for someone being very stubborn,” Jefferson explained, “And I can assure you Tom and I are also guilty of this too. Why do you think he said that about you?”

“Because I can be stubborn,” Vicki answered, “But I refuse to apologize for standing up for what I believe in.”

“Here we go again,” Tom said, letting out a deep sigh.

“What beliefs do you hold,” Jefferson started, “That you feel the need to defend so much?”

“Anything her feminist friends spew out,” Tom said, “Didn’t you get the memo? Everything going on here is our fault because we’re men. Truth is you’re just sour because you couldn’t have your woman president.”

“Maybe we deserve one!” Vicki chided back.

“Maybe you do,” Tom said, “And when a competent, ethical, and respectable lady decides to run for office and happens to present a sound plan for our future, then I’ll happily vote for her.”

“You know she was more than experienced enough!” Vicki shouted back.

“Not enough in my books, not for that job.” Tom replied, “She also had too many scandals, and don’t even get me started about that slush fund charity she was running. That was a total pay to play front, and you know it!”

“Oh dear,” Jefferson said, as he finally clued into whom they were talking about. It had been over six years since that fateful day in November 2016 and still couples were fighting over election results.

“This is the bullshit I have to put up with,” Tom said, pointing at his wife. “The only reason she voted for that evil corrupt hag was because she had a pussy! Not her policies, which she never bothered to campaign on or explain. She made no effort to even ask for our vote or promise better life for us were she to win. She just assumed it was her fucking turn because the black guy had his eight years earlier! The truth is I didn’t vote for the other guy because he was the politically correct choice, but because I liked his policies and what he was promising during his campaign! Someone gender and skin colour are not valid reasons to win anyone’s vote, and that’s why I didn’t vote for that entitled, selfish, bitch!”

“So, you think a game show host was a better choice?” Vicki asked.

“To be fair,” Tom started, “When I casted my vote, I was unsure. But six years later, I was glad that I voted for that fat bastard. To tell you the truth, if he runs again in two years, I will not hesitate to vote for him again!”

“Ugh!” Vicki grunted as she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

“Look,” Jefferson said, trying to remain diplomatic. “I understand where both of you are coming from. Vicki, we need to take a breath and understand where Tom is coming from. He never said he wouldn’t vote for a woman, it’s just that during that election he didn’t want to vote for that specific woman.”

“That’s right,” Tom said, “I’ve cast a vote for women many times. Both at the municipal level and even for congress and the senate! I don’t have an issue voting for women, as long as they are good women with sound policies. I’m not just going to vote for someone because of their gender. If they fail to move me with their sincerity, devotion, and what issues they wish to tackle then I will not vote for them. Same goes for any man: it’s their character and the issues that will determine where I cast my vote, not what’s between their legs.”

“To be fair,” Jefferson said, “I did vote for a woman to be president that year, I just didn’t vote for that woman.”

“Oh, that’s interesting.” Tom said, as he understood.

“This is very interesting,” Jefferson agreed, as he didn’t want to see things get too ugly. “Politics can cause a lot of division between people who are often on the opposite side of many issues. I hope that you can try to focus on the stuff you’re on the same side for rather than rehash all your differences instead. Name on issue that you both agree on. Right now.”

The couple remained seat on the couch, but they were coming up with any suggestions.

“We’re split about a lot of things,” Tom started, “We used to be on the same page about a lot of things but lately we’ve started to drift apart. I’m not a registered republican, but lately I’ve felt kind of left out by my own party and those I thought were on my side.”

“How so?” Jefferson asked.

“I’ve had the same views on certain issues,” Tom explained, “But I’ve always tried to be in the center, but the left has started to shift far to left for my liking. They’re all moving further left without me on some issues and that apparently makes me a right winger now, which is total bullshit!”

“Is there not anything you can agree on?” Jefferson asked. In his times he could always find one thing couples could settle on.

“I wish there was,” Tom asked, “But whenever I take one side she always happens to be on the other side. If I say red, she goes blue. If I say pro-life, she has to be pro-choice. If I say Paul, she says John. If I tried to say the moon landing was real, she’s break out conspiracy theories just to upset me. My gawd, she thinks Sammy Hagar was the better front man for Van Halen and even supports the universal designated hitter!”

“I don’t know about you,” Vicki finally replied, “But don’t want my team to lose a two hundred-million-dollar pitcher for the rest of the damn season because he was trying to bunt a runner over to second base. These needless injuries are not good for the game, and I for one am glad we won’t have to see it happen as often.”

“While I agree with some of what you said,” Jefferson said, as he himself was also a baseball fan. “But there are some pitchers out there that can hit, and even smack some long balls as well. Nothing gets a crowd more excited than seeing the pitcher get a hit or even a home-run.”

“I get the point,” Vicki said, “I mean who doesn’t love Ohtani, right?”

“Come on Tom,” Jefferson called out, “She’s right about that; Ohtani is a pretty awesome player, right?”

“Yes,” Tom finally conceded, “He’s a fucking amazing ballplayer. It’s just a crying shame his talents are being wasted on a gawd-awful franchise.”

“I happen to agree with you on that too,” Jefferson said, happy to see everything could find at least one thing they could all agree on.

“Do you at least root for the same team?” Jefferson asked, fully aware that there was a good chance that wasn’t the case.

“Of course not,” Tom answered.

“Damn Yankee fan,” Vicki shot back with venom in her tone.

“I see,” Jefferson said, “And what team do you support?”

“Red Sox,” Tom answered for her.

“My mother is from Boston,” Vicki explained, “I was raised on Ted Williams and Wade Boggs by most of my family.”

“She has a point there, Tom,” Jefferson said, “If she’s been programmed since birth to root for the Sox, that’s not a slight against you. It’s not like she jumped on the bandwagon in ‘04 when the curse ended. I’m sure she and her family had to endure many years of heartbreak rooting for that team during the 80s and 90s.”

“That’s true,” Tom conceded, “But I’m not a bandwagon jumper either.”

“No one said you were,” Jefferson said, smiling back. “Regardless of what team you root for, you both have a great passion for our national pastime. There we go, something everyone in this room can agree on!”

Jefferson could notice that the room was starting to ease up on the tension, something that usually happened with they found common ground. Their anger was starting to subside, and the therapist believed that was a good time to keep the momentum going.

“There are many things that you likely have in common,” Jefferson added, “Just because you don’t know what they are doesn’t mean they don’t exist. That is what I want this week’s homework to be. I am going to give each of you a questionnaire and I’d like you fill out. I want you to work on them separately and not show each other any of the answers.”

“What’s the point of that?” Tom asked.

“I want you to be fully honest and not have your answers influenced by others,” Jefferson answered, “And we’ll analyze them both together in our next session. I can assure you that you’ll be surprised by some of the answers. Most couples who do this usually are.”

“That sounds interesting,” Vicki said, warming up to the idea.

“All I request is your honest answers,” Jefferson said, “Be truthful with yourself and go with the first thought that comes to mind. There are no wrong answers here, unless you think David Lee Roth was the better front man.”

Tom’s face suddenly dropped when he heard that statement.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” he called out.