Kayfabe

Rod patted her hand. "He's a good man, Dee. The toughest son of a bitch I've ever met. And he loves you. Stop trying to push him away; it's not going to work. Just be glad he loves you." He finished his beer and stood. "Well, folks, I think it's time to head on out."

Dee chuckled as we stood. "Off to find another couple to dominate?"

The big man shook his head. "Nah. I've got a few more years in me, probably, but I want to go out on a high note. And this? You as a lover and Marty as my nemesis? And getting to help you two past your shit? Man, it's not going to get any better than that."

He kissed her on the cheek and wrapped us both in a big bearhug. Then, he walked out the door and out of our lives.

Things weren't easy after that, but we persevered. Therapy uncovered hidden trauma that Dee had repressed; it found some for me as well. I dialed back things at work, trying to find a balance where I didn't have to go go go win win win constantly every single day, so that the sting of humiliation didn't feel like a respite. Dee confronted her past and came out of it a better person and a better wife. On one level, I wish we'd never started down this path. On another, I don't know that we would have made it; looking back, Dee had regularly been giving signals that she thought she was defective and I should try to do better than her.

We did see Rod one more time. Three years after that last session, the one where Dee got to meet the real Rod and find out what we were up to, she gave birth to our first child, Julia. She looked just like me, except that she had her mother's fair hair. Everything went well, and momma and baby were resting well, but we had an unexpected visitor.

"Well, I saw the names in the system, but I would never have believed it!" The big man's big voice was muted as he came in. He was in scrubs and looked extremely tired. "My god, it's so good to see you two! Clearly things worked themselves out." He winked at me and stepped close to Dee. "May I?"

My beaming wife placed our bundle of joy in those giant hands, and his face lit up. "Oh, who's just the cutest widdle girl?" Looking at me, he chuckled. "Man, she looks just like you. Poor kid." He cradled our little Julia and started talking to her again. "Oooo, Uncle Rod's just kidding, you're gonna be the prettiest little thing, aren't you?" It was then that I noticed the ring on his finger.

"You got married?" Words I never thought I'd utter to him.

It was the biggest, most sheepish grin I'd ever seen. "Yeah, ol' Rod finally settled down. Found the woman to tame me. She's got two kids of her own; her ex was a real piece of work. It's been..." He smiled, happier, truly happier than I'd ever seen him. "Man, it's been great." He handed Julia back to me. "I wish I had more time to catch up, but I have to get back to work. Congratulations again, both of you."

Dee and I just stared at each other, then started laughing. I gave Julia back to Dee and gave my wife a gentle, loving kiss. This was the life I'd always wanted, shared with the woman I'd always love. Her adoring eyes told me that she felt the same thing.

The paths our lives take can be twisting and strange, but I have to believe that we meet the people we need to meet. Sometimes we're not brave enough to take the steps we need to; sometimes we need assistance from the most unlikely of sources. But the people and choices that led me here, no matter how much pain they may have once caused me, were more than worth it.