“Bette, I’m a little surprised,” Suzanne said while studying her.

“What?  Why?”

“You just said a bit of you died.  Do you really think that could be a good thing?”

“I wanted it.”

“You’ve talked about cravings, passions, emotions, and desire.  Those aren’t words I would expect to hear from someone who is willing to let innermost parts of herself die.”

“Compromises were made.”

“And what spurred you on was that you were on some sort of timetable?  Following a scripted life plan?”

“I wanted that,” Bette responded defensively.

“Did you?”

“Yes, of course I did.  I absolutely did.”

“Bette, we’re out of time for today.  I have a couple of homework assignments for you for the rest of the week and weekend.”  Bette’s mouth was closed and Suzanne watched as the motion of Bette’s tongue moved across her upper teeth.  She also noted the way Bette’s hand clenched when she heard the words ‘homework assignment.’  The museum director appeared on schedule to her therapy sessions and each appointment seemed to put another ***** in the armor Bette wore, still she fought work outside this office.  Suzanne was well aware that doing this between-session work could only enhance what she gained during the appointments.  “I don’t think you’ll find these two assignments too difficult.”

“That depends,” Bette casually laughed.

“First, I’d like for you to contact one of the artists whose work you admired and showcased at your gallery.  Go out for dinner and talk about art.  This is not an assignment for the CAC; you’re not to drum up business.  It is purely non-work related for the simple joy of sharing your love of art with another.  Not too tough, huh?”

“No, that’s fine.  I can do it.”

“Secondly, I’d like to see you reach out to some of the friends you and Tina share.  You really need to start working on strengthening those relationships.”

“I don’t want to spend an entire evening talking about what an ***** I am or hearing them tell me that.  That’s just too much.”

“Bette, you can set boundaries.  Give a call—you want to get together, but would prefer that you don’t discuss the situation.  Surely you have other things to talk about?”