Capricorn
Chapter 6

Behavior and Personality Traits
* is very self-conscious
* behaves in a ladylike manner in public
* dresses according to what she intends to achieve that day
* needs to gain recognition for her work
* appears as steady as a rock but is quite moody inside herself
* runs a well-kept home, although she finds domesticity tedious
* is totally loyal to close family and distant relatives
* cannot bear to be teased
* smiles little, but when she does, it is a gorgeous smile

*

When Adena left to go to work, like any other day, she would kiss him on his forehead before leaving. He was used to her doing it. Sometimes he didn't wake up at all, and sometimes he would wake just enough to say, 'Love you, have a good day' and go back to sleep. He knew she didn't mean to, but when she kissed him on his forehead and whispered, "I love you" this morning, he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep again. He tossed and turned and tossed and turned. He wasn't surprised by her words, even though he thought she still hated him or was very close to it. He was more surprised by his reaction. Something just wasn't right.

He gave up and turned his phone back on. He rarely did that, but he had no time for anybody outside of Adena. He owed her that. He owed her a lot. Several messages and notifications came through as soon as his phone turned on. He vaguely answered some of them; some would understand if he didn't say anything and knew that not answering was an answer. He sighed as he read the last message and then shrugged inwardly and typed:

you know my situation

That's all he needed to say. He went through his notifications and saw an email from one of the career websites he frequented. A list of job openings matched what he was looking for.

But that was the thing; what was he looking for? What did he want? What did he want to do?

He sighed. Before his mind could go down an anxiety rabbit hole, he quick applied to a few jobs that looked appealing at a glance. With just one click, his resume was sent to them. You gotta love technology.

He just hated waiting. One of the most annoying things to him was getting replies from people hours after he sent his. Sometimes it was too late, so why did they even bother to answer?

But job searching now was more accessible and more challenging at the same time. You didn't have to go door to door, office to office, and scour newspapers for only a couple of openings with barely any information. He could apply for many jobs in minutes, in town or out of, uptown or down. He saved a lot of money on subway, bus, Uber, and taxi trips. The hard part was the competition. Every job opening had resumes sent in, but most weren't even looked at and got lost in the massive pile because the information was open to everyone. He thought that might be the problem. His resume was getting shredded and deleted without being looked at because other lucky people were already appealing. You rarely got an answer, even if you had an interview.

'Don't call us, we'll call you' was still a state of mind nowadays.

But he had to do something. He was grown and had to learn to care for himself and his wife.

His wife.

Did you know that he was the only one out of his friends that was married? A few of his boys were in relationships, but none were in comparison to what he had with Adena. So, what was wrong?

Before he could go down another anxiety rabbit hole again, he got out of bed and put on some sweats and a sweatshirt. He brushed his teeth, had a quick breakfast, and went to the gym available to all apartment building residents. There were a few other people there. Usually, he didn't care, but today he wanted to be alone. He lifted weights, worked on his arms and legs, did cardio, and ran on the treadmill but wasn't satisfied. He let out a sigh as he downed a bottle of water. He wasn't feeling any better, and the trainer shouting at their client was ruining it. He accepted defeat and decided to get some fresh air. 

He walked outside and shivered at the cold weather. He then decided to jog. Just anywhere. He turned his music high and ran at the most comfortable pace possible. He didn't stop until he reached a street corner. It wasn't time for them to crosswalk yet because of traffic. He jogged in place as he looked across the street.

The Brooklyn Cathedral stood tall and proud. When was the last time he went to mass? Or any church service, for that matter? Adena was raised Baptist, and she always felt guilty if they went too long without going, but they still didn't have a church home. With him being unemployed and Adena working a lot more, Sunday mornings were for resting. Saturday mornings too. When it was safe to cross, he continued to jog, but as he reached the steps of the Cathedral, something told him to stop. He turned off his music and looked at the building, staring, waiting for...who knew. 

He then shook his head and walked up the steps and into the Cathedral. He wasn't a very religious person, he wasn't very spiritual either, but he couldn't deny the calming feeling that he felt as he walked in. He sat in the pew and looked around at the unique architecture that was practically 100 years old. Others were praying and were spread out in the congregation of benches. He got on his knees and saw someone walk out of a booth.

Next thing he knew...

"Bless me, Father, for I have sinned, and it's been...months since my last confession..."

*

Sometimes Capricorn tests the trustworthiness of friends several times...

*

Adena sighed with relief as she sat down at a table. It was finally lunch, and today she would eat as much as she could to make up for yesterday. She hadn't had a painful migraine like that in a long time, and she didn't want it to become a regular thing again. She suffered from them a lot during college, especially her senior year...and when planning their wedding...and moving in together. She sighed and told the host to go ahead and bring three glasses of water with lemon.

The pain alone knocked her out last night, and though it was gone now, it made her move pretty slow all day. She had to stop herself when overwhelmed, which often happened at work. When the water was delivered to her, she put a couple of lemons in it, drank it immediately, and ordered an appetizer. She was starting to get hungry, and sometimes one or both of her girls tended to show up late. She never did this with anyone else, but they all didn't mind if they didn't order together. Kim and Missy weren't sticklers for time, especially Missy.

Luckily, the two of them walked in together a few minutes later. She stood up, hugged them, and then sat down as they got settled. Her appetizer soon arrived, and she ordered as Kim and Missy looked at the menu. Luckily they had been here a few times before, so they knew what they wanted immediately. Great.

"I've been craving these fucking shrimp tacos. Oh my god," Missy said with a laugh as she picked up a few fried pickles and ate them.

"Soooo, how did Dr. Osbourne turn out?" Kim asked, getting right into it. They both couldn't wait. They didn't know what to think when they heard nothing from her yesterday. Did she chicken out? Did Taye? Was it a hopeless cause? What?

Adena chuckled for a second, "It...wasn't what I expected," she said simply as she ate a few fried pickles.

"We're gonna need more than that," Missy said.

"Yeah, you had me worried yesterday. Everything ok?" Kim asked.

"I don't know. I mean, I hope so. The session was frustrating. At first, I thought it went well, for me anyway, but Taye was against it from the start. He wasn't cooperating at all, and it was embarrassing. The only thing he did right was get there at 12:30, exactly like I asked. But he was acting like such a child. He was acting like he didn't want to save our marriage..."Adena said, and the more she talked, the more depressed she got.

They both reached out and touched her arms lovingly. "No, sweetheart, don't think like that. He was just pushed into all of this. His consequences are catching up with him, and he's being a child. He's whining about it. He wants you to say everything's fine, and he wants to go out and play. But fun time is over; you deserve that," Kimberly said.

Missy nodded. "The dumb nigga got caught, and he's mad," she agreed.

"Missy-"

Adena waved her off, which surprised them because she never let anyone bad talk her man, whether she was mad at him or not. She was loyal. Down. A true 'ride or die,' whatever that meant. She doesn't think she ever knew... 

"I was hoping it would just be a small eye-opener for both of us. We're worse off than I thought. I thought he could give us some pointers and send us on our way, but he wants us to come back...he wants us to come back. Unless...I mean, you said he was one of the best in the city. If he can't help us, who can?" she asked. She sighed and downed her second glass of water, feeling hot again.

"Adena, he is. But when a partner cheats, there's going to be a lot to unpack-"

"Or he's just a dumb nigga, and he's mad he got caught," Missy repeated. "I mean, what? He fell inside the other bitches pu-"

"Missy!" Kim hissed at her.

"How many others are there? How many times with the one who left her evidence on his shirt? What if she did it on purpose? How could she not notice?" Missy asked with a roll of her eyes.

Unfortunately, Adena didn't know the answers to any of those questions. She's had the same fears, but she made sure that Taye never went into full detail, even in therapy, which tripped Dr. Osbourne and Taye up a few times.

"What did he say?" Missy asked her.

Adena looked at Missy. Oh, those weren't rhetorical questions. "I don't know..."

"That's all he said? 'I don't know?' Even in therapy?" Kim asked.

"No, I...I literally don't know. I don't want to know the answers to those questions. He confessed that it was lipstick and it wasn't innocent. That's all I need to know."

"Adena, I'm sorry, but you need to know more," Kim said.

"I know you don't want to, but you gotta know how dumb he is. How far did he let it go? Was it once? Was it five times? You need to know. You both need to be on the same page," Missy agreed.

"I already have enough to deal with." Adena shook her head. She felt like she was going to throw up, and she didn't know if it was from this conversation or because she didn't feel like her whole self today.

"Ok, whether you want to know or not, will you two keep seeing him? I really think you should," Kim said, changing the subject for now.

"Taye was against it from the start, and he said we can't afford it...he's right."

"Your insurance should cover it."

"You think so?" Adena asked her.

"Most plans now include therapy, thank God. But you should call whoever you have. Ask Donatella."

"No."

"No, what?"

"I'm not going to ask Donatella. I'm not going to tell her I need therapy. She hates personal stuff, especially if it messes with how the gallery is run. I don't want her to know we're having issues," Adena said adamantly.

Kim and Missy looked at each other. Moments like this, she made them agree with Taye and his immense dislike of Donatella. Did Adena want to be as perfect as possible because she was just an overachiever, or was she scared of her boss to the point where she was afraid to confide in her?

"Call them then. If they don't cover it... that isn't very reassuring...but I can see if some free or low-income-based programs exist. If they do...in a perfect world, what would you want to do? Leave Taye, Donatella, and even us out of it. When fighting for your marriage, how would you fight for it?"

Adena sighed as she thought about it. She forgot that her meal arrived, but she no longer had an appetite. She played with the food on her plate and took her time. But she knew what she wanted immediately. "I'm willing to give Dr. Osbourne another try. He was very patient with Taye."

"Ok," Kim said with a smile. "But make sure to book him quickly. He's hard to get a hold of. He's got a waiting list."

"Girl eat," Missy said to her. Adena nodded and took a few bites. "You sure you're ok?"

"Yeah. I'm trying anyway. I don't want to be stuck in a room with Taye if he's gonna act like that. We got an event coming up at the gallery. I have better things to do."

"He will be able to help. You should try this, though," Kim said to her with a smirk, "Your next session, don't even show up. Have Taye show up on his own without telling him, of course, or he will also make an excuse. He won't leave because he doesn't want to waste money. So don't tell him insurance will cover it. Let him have a little one-on-one with him. That will loosen him up, and it will be smooth sailing when you go in two weeks from now. He would have gotten all of his feelings out."

Adena smirked for the first time all day, saying, "Sounds like a plan."

She felt terrible that she had to lie to him, especially after their moment yesterday and coming home to the perfect husband she always wanted. She hated all the stress but had to fight for their marriage, even if it killed her.

Is that what they mean when they say "ride or die?"

*

Capricorns are loyal, kind, and often very generous to friends.

*

Taye sighed as he left the Cathedral. He got a lot off his chest but was still unsure what to do. Was it bad he felt that God didn't listen at all while he was in confession? He looked at his watch and decided it was time to go home. He worked out a lot, maybe too much. He was exhausted. He turned on his music. He noticed a bus come down the street. He could catch that one instead of jogging all the way home. He sprinted down the steps and then...

"Ooof!"

He had bumped into someone hard. "I'm sorry, man, my bad," he said to them. The man bent down to pick up some papers, and he bent down to help them. Then he realized, "Dr. Osbourne?"

Dr. Osbourne looked back at him and smiled, "Oh, hello there, Mr. Houghton. Fancy running into you, literally."

Taye chuckled and scratched his head, "Yeah, I'm sorry about that."

"No problem," Dr. Osbourne said. A bus pulled off nearby, and Taye looked over and cursed under his breath. "You alright?"

"Yeah...just missed the bus," Taye sighed.

Dr. Osbourne did a quick observation, reading his expression, body language, and between the lines. He glanced at the Cathedral and back at him.

"I should've prayed for a little extra time to catch the bus," Taye joked with a weak smile.

"I didn't know you were Catholic."

"Yeah. Barely. It seems I even forgot for a second."

"But something compelled you to come back..."

"Yeah...life...life sucks. But you know all about that," Taye said. "Let me not hold you up, Doc. Sorry again."

"It's alright. Before you go, did you and Adena talk about whether you would come back? Did you two come to an agreement?"

"I'm...I'm not sure...I came here to try to figure it out. We didn't get to discuss it. Adena had a rough night last night. She wasn't feeling too good."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. I hope she doesn't have that flu going around. I had two cancellations today because of it."

"No, it's nothing like that. I think I'm making her sick-" he said, then stopped. Wow. TMI much. "Um, anyway I-"

"You want to walk with me? Maybe I can help?" he asked him, sensing his uneasiness.

Taye paused, and then he sighed, but with relief. "If...if you don't mind...?"

"Not at all."

*

Capricorns try to prove their sincerity by showing total devotion to their friendships, but this can go wrong if the choice of a friend has been a bad one in the first place.

*

Adena hoped and prayed that she could leave the gallery at five, but that wouldn't be possible with the next showing just days away. She rushed out as soon as she could. She was so exhausted. Usually, the stress that came with showings and gallery parties would fade quickly, but she hated being at work all day. This was rare because she loved what she did no matter how hard Donatella was on her. She didn't like that feeling. She could feel her headache coming back. She popped a few ibuprofen and got an Uber instead to get home quicker. All she wanted to do was go to bed.

She walked into their apartment after 7:30 due to traffic. Whether Taye volunteered to cook or not, she wouldn't eat. She just wanted to rest. She sighed as she hung up her coat and entered the living room. Taye had been sitting on the couch, but when she walked in, he stood up. "Hey-"

"Hey, I'm just gonna go to bed, ok?" she said, barely looking at him as she turned and headed toward their bedroom.

"Wait, you aren't going to eat?" he asked her.

"I don't have an appetite," she said, shaking her head.

"Ok, well before you do-"

Adena sighed and turned to him, "What?"

"I need to talk to you. We need to talk."

"About?" she asked impatiently.

"Dr. Osbourne thinks that I should...no, I think I should tell you the whole truth here. Can we sit down?" he asked her.

Adena paused. "What do you mean? You spoke with him?" she asked, and he nodded. This was a surprise, and though she was exhausted, the fact that he had reached out to Dr. Osbourne without her presence was a relief.

They sat on the couch, "Ok, now I know I've hurt you. Being laid off and unable to provide for you has been hard to handle. It was wrong to kiss another woman while I was married to you. But honestly, I've...well, he helped me realize that I've been unhappy for quite some time, and I foolishly went out looking for happiness, for a distraction. I gave up, and it was wrong of me. But what was even more wrong of me was that..." he said, taking her hand, "Im sorry..."

"No baby take your time," Adena said as she held his hand tightly. Her headache could wait. It seemed as if Taye had finally had a breakthrough. Now she didn't have to consider Kim's idea of tricking him into going to therapy alone. The more she thought about it, the more she felt guilty. This was what she wanted. Him apologizing sincerely and wanting to work on their marriage again. She even had a crazy idea about planning a second honeymoon or a mountain vacation for her birthday. They needed to get out of the city and away from the temptations. They needed time together again.

"We need to be on the same page. It wasn't just a kiss, Adena. It was more than that-"

"Taye, no," she said as she snatched her hand from him.

"I know I should have told you sooner. I didn't want to hurt you, and I know that's stupid because I already have, but I want to do what's right-"

"Taye, stop!" she said as she got up. But he got in her way and stopped her.

He had to make her listen. "I slept with her, Adena—more than once. You have to know this. If we want to move forward, we must know what happened!" he told her. She stood there frozen. "Adena, I'm sorry-"

Adena backed away from him, "You what? More than once?" she asked.

"I'm sorry-"

"And I had to know this? Why? You already stabbed me in the back, and now you wanna twist the knife too?" she asked him. He hung his head down. What he had said started sinking in. He...How could he?! The next thing she knew, she pushed him as hard as she could, but he barely budged. She pushed him again. And again. He sadly stood there and took it.

Now she had no desire to see him or hear his sorry-ass apologies. Deep down, she was afraid of this. She feared he messed up so badly that there would be no way to fix it. She felt like an idiot. Crying out to him, waiting up for him, fighting for him, when he didn't give a single fuck about her at all. How could he? How could he hurt her like this? What did she do? What did she do to deserve this? But she knew the answer to that too. She did nothing. It wasn't her fault. How could she fix a disaster that she didn't make?

She couldn't.

There was nothing left for her to do.

"I'm sorry, Adena. I love you-"

Those three words were met with a hard slap across his face. It happened so fast and was so out of character for her that he staggered back. He didn't know what to do. He closed his eyes as his face stung. He deserved it. He knew he did.

However, she no longer stood before him when he opened his eyes. He saw her walk out of the room, and a few seconds later, the front door of their apartment slammed behind her.

*

Capricorn women want a partner who already has a good, secure position in life. She is more likely to make a wrong choice of a partner than the male Capricorn, but she will soon recognize her mistake...

*

https://youtu.be/GmyuhLRHKcs