Sue: Sweetie! She’s not smelly...
Bill: Did you smell her today?
Sue: I smelled her. She smelled good. I petted her, and my
hands didn’t stink or feel oily. Your hands have never smelled
oily.
Bill: Yes, sir.
Sue: I’ve never let my dog get oily.
Bill: Yes, sir. She’s a dog.
Sue: My dog has never gotten oily. You’d better be careful.
Bill: No, you’d better be careful.
Sue: No, you’d better be careful.... Don’t call my dog oily,
boy.
1. The Love Lab
How much do you think can be learned about Sue and Bill’s
marriage by watching that fifteen-minute videotape? Can we
tell if their relationship is healthy or unhealthy? I suspect that
most of us would say that Bill and Sue’s dog talk doesn’t tell us
much. It’s much too short. Marriages are buffeted by more