Linda & Greg Morris's Arc

Chapter 9 of 11

Greg and Linda stood in their living room with printed flyers spread across the coffee table. Each sheet listed meeting options: coffee shop talks, chapel gatherings, and private check-ins. They'd tested the blue post box downtown—it worked perfectly for anonymous questions. The peach intake box sat ready on their bookshelf. Outside, they'd arranged to move the old phone booth next week. Everything was in place. Linda picked up a flyer and smiled. "We're actually ready now," she said. Greg nodded and grabbed his keys. Time to put these up around town and let people know the support group was truly open for business. They started at the Black Hare Pub on the edge of town. The owner let them hang a wooden sign out front—a black hare carved into dark wood with gold letters spelling out meeting times and the phrase "Safe Place for Couples." Greg held it steady while Linda secured the hooks. The sign swung slightly in the wind. People walking past could see it clearly from the road. Three regulars came out of the pub and stopped to read it. One woman took a photo with her phone. Back home, Linda set up a practice area in the corner of their living room. She pulled in a comfortable office chair with modern lines and soft cushioning. "We need to rehearse the hard stuff," she told Greg. They took turns sitting in the chair and practicing what to say when couples got angry or shut down completely. Greg tried different ways to ask about violence without scaring people off. Linda worked on how to end sessions that went too long. They stumbled through awkward phrases and tried again. After an hour, the words came easier. Greg built a simple wooden bookshelf and placed it near the door. Open shelves, no trim, just clean lines. "Couples can leave books about marriage here," he said. "Take what helps, add what helped you." Linda added three books from their own collection and a stack of photocopied articles. The shelf would grow as people shared resources. They stood back and looked at everything—the flyers ready to distribute, the sign announcing their purpose, the chair for practice, the shelf for shared wisdom. Greg checked his watch. Their first official open session was tomorrow night. Linda squeezed his hand. They'd done the work. Now they had to trust that couples would show up and let them help.