Can we fix it? No we can't.

Bob and Wendy sat on the opposite sides of the sofa. Always a tell-tale sign in married couples, or even friends, going through some tough emotional times together. If they can't even sit together, well then, it's a clear sign that there's a pretty big rift between the two of them.

"I just..." says Wendy.

"Just...what?" asks Bob.

"Well, you're never there for me Bob. You're never even in the house or even the office anymore. You're always running off to fix things for everyone. You're out the door at the drop of a hat if Mayor Bentley calls with a burst pipe, you leave in the middle of the night to fix the roof of Farmer Pickles's barn...you're just never there!"

"But Wendy, I, I can change!"

"You keep saying that, Bob. You say it all the time. Even the move out to Sunflower Valley didn't change you, nor that CGI makeover you got a few years ago that made everybody lose their mind." I had to agree with her on that one. "You're always making promises and fulfilling them for everybody else, but you never fulfill any promises you make to me!"

By this point, the two of them are near tears.

"W-Well, what is it? What is it you're trying to say, Wendy?"

I interjected: "I believe what Wendy is trying to say, Bob, is that fixing a relationship isn't something that occurs overnight, and often takes a lot of time and effort on the part of both people in a marriage to work to support one another."

"Yes, that's it!" said Wendy, pointing at me while I continued making my notes and observations. "He gets it! But you never have, and I don't think you ever can."

"S-Surely you don't mean...?"

"I do. I'm sorry, Bob, but I just can't do this anymore. I, I want a...divorce." She forced the word out as though it was stuck between her teeth like the lettuce from the pre-made salad I'd had before they walked in.

"But Wendy," Bob protested, "We... We can fix this, can't we? The same way we fix everything else! C-Can we fix it?"

"No," said Wendy "We can't."

"Bob," I said "Sometimes a divorce may be the best thing for a married couple. If both of you know inside that it can't be fixed anymore, don't you think that a divorce might be for the best?"

"I'm sorry, Bob." Wendy got up and grabbed her coat and headed for the door. "I just can't do it anymore."

"Wendy, wait! Wendy!" Bob wailed "Come back!" But she didn't come back. Bob broke down at long last and cried into his hands.

The hourly alarm on my watch beeped. "Well, I'm afraid that's all we have time for today. I hate to be that person, but just make sure to give the receptionist the payment for this session on the way out, and schedule another appointment for next week."

______________

Based on this Reddit writing prompt