Week 11 Story: Couples Therapy - You Otter Go

Mr. and Mrs. Otter lived a quiet life in Huckleberry Lake, surrounded by clear blue waters and tall riverbanks covered with wildflowers. The calm of the lake had recently been disturbed by an uncharacteristic amount of squabbling, however. Mr. and Mrs. Otter having some marriage difficulties, and there were nights when the water never ceased rippling as they bickered back and forth.

Mrs. Otter had decided that enough was enough, and asked her friend Patricia the hermit crab, who lived along the riverbank, what to do.

"Well, when Albert and I were going through an especially crabby phase, we went to see Rudy the wolf. He's the top therapist in our ecosystem, 8 years running!"

Mrs. Otter had made an appointment with Rudy wolf that very day. She combed her fur, gathered her purse and Mr. Otter, and set out on the trek to Rudy’s office.

Rudy worked out of a hollowed tree in the forest that surrounded Huckleberry Lake. When Mr. and Mrs. Otter arrived, Mrs. Otter stepped forward and twisted a gnarled branch protruding from the base counterclockwise, as per Rudy’s instructions. A small  door opened in the tree and the otters stepped inside.

“Welcome! Molly and Bob I presume?”

Rudy wolf sat before them, casually observing their entrance and sipping from a steaming cup.

“Would either of you care for some dandelion tea?” the wolf inquired.

“Oh yes, thank you,” said Mrs. Otter. “We would both love a cup.”

Mr. Otter quickly interjected, “Actually, I think I’ll go without.”

Mrs. Otter glared at him. “Dear, the wolf is being so kind to offer us tea on this chilly autumn day; do not refuse him so bluntly.”

Mr. Otter, his bushy eyebrows furrowing, replied, “I simply do not want a cup of tea. Is that a crime these days?”

Mrs. Otter lost it.

“There you go again! Why must you contradict everything I say? It’s either this or it’s that, there’s never any in between with you! You know, there was once a time you enjoyed agreeing with me.”

Mr. Otter was also beginning to get riled up. “What’s the big deal? There are more important things in the world than tea!”

“Why yes, I suppose there are,” said Mrs. Otter. “Like supporting your wife!”

At this point Rudy wolf interjected.

“Molly, Bob, why don’t you have a seat and we can talk about this like civil otter beings.”

There were two polished rocks on either side of Rudy wolf. Mr. and Mrs. Otter carefully perched across from one another, on edge both literally and metaphorically.

“Now, it seems to me that we’re having some trouble communicating with one another. Mrs. Otter, why don’t you state how you’re feeling?”

“Well,” she began, “Mr. Otter – ”

Rudy interrupted. “Let’s put this into an “I feel” statement rather than making it accusatory.”

Mrs. Otter began again. “Well, I feel that Mr. Otter says things opposite of what I say just to upset me. He doesn’t seem to care about my feelings.”

“And Bob,” said Rudy wolf, “how do you feel?”

Mr. Otter replied, “I feel that Mrs. Otter makes a big deal out of things that are not actually problems, which makes me feel badly, as if I have done something wrong.”

Rudy sat thinking for a moment. Then he began slowly, “It seems to me that you have forgotten something very important: opposites attract. Molly, Bob does not have to agree with everything you do or say to prove he loves you. He is his own otter. You must work on understanding his perspective and accepting your differences. Bob, Molly is lashing out because she feels disconnected from you. You must work on making Molly feel supported in her pursuits even as you pursue your own.”

Mr. and Mrs. Otter listened attentively and nodded along.

“Oh Bob, I’m sorry for all the yelling and making a fuss. I really just miss sharing my life with you; I feel like you have been so distant,” said Mrs. Otter.

“Molly, how could I ever distance myself from you! I promise I will work on being more understanding and finding new ways for us to connect. After all, you are my otter half.”

Mr. and Mrs. Otter profusely thanked Rudy wolf for helping them to talk about their problems. Rudy assured them it was his pleasure and smiled as he saw them to the door. They left the hollowed tree paw in paw.

Two affectionate otters. Source: Pixabay

Author's Note: This story is based on the Jataka tale: "The Otters and the Wolf." I used the character of the wolf as a mediator for a dispute between the otters. This time, however, they were not arguing over a fish, but over the discrepancies in their marriage.

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Bibliography:

Babbitt, Ellen C. More Jataka tales. 1992. http://iereadingguides.blogspot.com/2015/05/free-book-babbit-jataka-tales-and-more.html