First appointment: Mr. Hardy.

Beth drove to her first appointment, confirming the details in her planner.

Hardy, 1 hour deep tissue
Mr. James Hardy was a 41-year old Lexus salesman, and a pretty good one, if his nice house in Garden Grove was any indication. He was married to a beautiful 34-year old real estate agent, Kim, and had been for 8 years, though they had no kids. {if Shame > 49
}She often looked at the two of them as romantic role models, they always seemed so cute together whenever she was working there. James {else
}Beth admired their nice house, and James wasn't bad looking either. He {endif
}was a hard working man, and so he often needed deep tissue attention.
As Beth pulled up to the house, she was greeted by an unusual sight. Kim Hardy's sky blue Lexus convertible was peeling away from the house, with a small moving van following behind. What the...? She pulled in next to the other Lexus, Mr. Hardy's, and grabbed her massage table and supply bag before hesitantly knocking on the door. When no one answered, and she noticed the front door wasn't actually closed, she set down her table and pushed it open. She could hear James Hardy's voice: he seemed to be yelling, probably into his phone, on the back patio under the Italian style pergola.
Beth glanced around at the living room and dining room, and noticed the walls seemed bare. There were no pictures anymore; normally the house was filled with images of James and Kim at various events and activities: rock climbing, fancy dinners, weddings. Even their wedding portrait was missing from its usual spot above the mantle. Uh oh.
As James stepped back in through the sliding glass doors, Beth was treated to his angry words:
"...see you in court, then!" He hung up, and then jumped a little when he saw her in the entryway.
"I'm... I'm sorry, Mr. Hardy, the door was..." Beth gestured at the front door, but her eyes stayed on his.
"Fu....damn it. I totally forgot...." He set his phone down, and the anger melted from his normally friendly face. He was taller than her by about six inches, with some grey streaks in his otherwise lustrous black hair. He was in good shape, and well dressed in khaki shorts and an Under Armour top. He liked to jog. "I guess there's no real hiding the fact that... Kim and I are through."
"I saw her leave..." {if History = 0
}{if Shame > 50
}No.... {else
}Shit.{endif
}{else
}{if Shame > 50
}Oh, no... {else
}Fuck. That sucks.{endif
}{endif
}
"I'm sorry, it's been brewing this whole week, and I should have called to cancel the session today."
{if Shame > 50
} Beth felt her heart sink a little. She had looked up to them as a couple still in love after years of marriage. {elseif Shame >30
}Beth felt a stab of despair. Is it just inevitable, then? {else
}Beth suppressed a cynical snort. I guess that's 'love,' isn't it? {endif
} "I'll go if you want, but if you ask me, you definitely need my services."
James stared for a second, before laughing. "I guess so. I'm definitely tight all over."
"Why don't you have a drink while I set up, then?" Beth smiled. She tried to sound encouraging, and it seemed to be working.
A little while later, she was rubbing oil onto James's back. He was stripped to his briefs, with a towel over his hips, face down in the cutout of her table. His muscles were like old wood: knots on top of other knots. She had her work cut out for her. "Do...you want to talk about it?"
He was **** at first, but eventually he gave her the short version. Kim and he had been having problems for a while, but had been putting a good show on for others. They'd grown distant from each other, and Kim had shown less and less affection over time, blaming him for working a lot. He admitted that he did indeed work hard, but asserted that he always made time for romance, and that it was Kim who had become disinterested.
It had all boiled over earlier in the week. James had accused Kim of cheating, and she hadn't outright denied it, deflecting instead. They had agreed to separate, but this morning, when she had shown up with a U-Haul van driven by her personal trainer, Gio, James knew he had been right. They had fought the entire time she was packing, and more on the phone after.
"And that's...mmmmmph....basically where you came in..."
"{If Shame > 30
}I'm so sorry, James. {endif
}That sucks.{if Shame < 50
} Though if you ask me, it's her loss. {endif
}"
{If Shame <50
}James let out a wry chuckle. "Thanks, Beth. {else
"{endif
}Honestly, I'm more relieved than anything. It's been a long time coming. We haven't even had sex in almost four months." Suddenly, he tensed up. "Sorry, that's inappropriate, I shouldn't-"
"It's okay. I'm a grown woman, Mr. Hardy." {if Shame > 50
}Beth was a little surprised at the fact that her eyes were filling a little. Her role model couple...wasn't what she thought it was. Was there really no hope? {else
}Beth called Kim a hundred unkind names in her head. {if Shame < 30
}You dumb bitch. You threw away all this for a lousy personal trainer? Amateur. {else
}Why? I'm trying so hard not to give up hope, not to stray. You were my role model, damn it! {endif
}{endif
}"You're incredibly tense. I can tell this has been doing a number on you."
"Honestly, I'm glad I forgot to cancel... I really f..I really needed this today."
The end of the session was rapidly approaching, she realized. And James was still really knotted up. "I'm annoyed that I have another appointment right after, because you definitely need more work." It was not strictly true: her next appointment was at 1:00, but she needed lunch in between.
"Honestly, what you've managed so far is great..." he murmured as he rolled over for her to work his chest, arms and thighs. His towel inadvertently dropped, and Beth couldn't help but notice the bulge in his shorts. It was a common side effect of getting a massage. Occupational {if Shame < 30
}perk, she thought devilishly. {elseif Shame < 50
}hazard, she thought wryly. {else
}hazard, I guess. Despite her efforts, she couldn't shake her sadness at the Hardys' situation, and what it boded for her and Brian. {endif
}