RDP Thursday – COMPROMISE Create a post  inspired by this word!

” I don’t like the way you look at me, you know the way you look when you think I’m wrong and you’re right.” he told her as they sat face at their  kitchen island in their brightly lit kitchen .

Their counselor had suggested they have this talk in a place where they had no history of yelling, or throwing things or insulting each other.

The only place they could do that was the kitchen- not because it was filled with bright colors and nice smells they chose it because they never used it and they never used it because they never ate together.

Plus they knew on some level it was probably not a good idea to be together in a room full of sharp and breakable objects.

” Well.” She said after a few minutes after thinking before speaking ( another piece of over priced advice ) ” I hate the way you say mean things to me  when you think I’m wrong and you’re right.”

” I hear you.” came his carefully crafted reply. ” I think that I can say, in this safe place where we’ve agreed to share our feelings, that I hate it when you give me the evil eye when you think you’re right and I’m wrong.”

She reached for her coffee cup- which was full of hot coffee and instead of pulling it towards herself she slid it to her right. ” I don’t think you do. Hear me. Especially when you know I’m right and you are really wrong.”

They were both trying very hard to smile.

The results were not exactly stellar, but lots of teeth were involved.

” I think we are at a place where we have learned- through the hours and hours and hours of  guidance  from our awesome Counselor-  to compromise so that we can have a happy, healthy relationship together, as opposed to happy healthy apart.”

” That’s not an option,  the apart option” she said with feeling. ” I think we can both agree, we are not exactly the easiest people to love, or even the easiest people to sit in the same room with, without you know-  being armed with Tasers or something. You get me. Nobody else does.”

He sighed in agreement and pointed to her cup of coffee and she nodded. She did however keep her eyes on it as he took the cup, helped himself to a sip and didn’t take her eyes off of it until he  put the cup  down again.

” So what should we do?”

” Well. If I could ask for one change, I’d ask you didn’t get so mean when you talk to me. You know, when you think I’m wrong and you’re right.:”

” And to be honest, I truly despise you when you give me that stink eye when you think I’m wrong and you’re right.”

” I’m willing to compromise, no stink eye for no more snark.”

He leaned back and smiled.

” Okay. Let’s do it.  On three we agree to make the changes to ourselves- for each other.” she said with actual enthusiasm. ” I  can feel it, you know? I know I can change myself, I can’t change you but I CAN change myself. I’m really feeling it. We can do this!”

” Happy, healthy together- hell yes!” he shouted with actual joy.

They stood up and met each other at the end of the island and in each of their hands was a boning knife.

She closed her eyes, he opened his mouth.

Compromise.