I have been to anger management twice. After the first session

Host: The bar was dimly lit, its walls soaked in the amber glow of neon signs and the slow drift of cigarette smoke. The rain outside tapped against the window, a soft percussion keeping time with the low jazz humming from the jukebox. Jack sat at the corner table, fingers wrapped around a half-empty glass of whiskey, eyes lost somewhere between the past and the present. Across from him, Jeeny stirred her coffee, the steam curling like ghosts between them.

Host: It was late — the kind of hour when truths slip out more easily than lies, and the weight of silence presses harder than any confession.

Jeeny: “You know, Kid Rock once said something that’s been stuck in my head all week,” she began, her voice quiet but steady. “‘I have been to anger management twice. After the first session, the lady was like, Baby, you don’t seem that angry at all. You seem like a really nice guy.’”

Jack: (a faint smirk) “Sounds about right. That’s the kind of therapy we all want — someone to tell us we’re fine when we’re clearly not.”

Host: His tone was dry, almost sarcastic, but there was a tremor beneath it — the kind that comes from recognizing too much of oneself in the punchline.

Jeeny: “Or maybe it means he’s not as angry as people think. Maybe the world just labels people based on how they express their pain.”

Jack: “You’re missing the point, Jeeny. Anger isn’t about expression; it’s about pressure. You don’t need to yell to be angry — some people just keep it bottled, smiling through it. And that’s the most dangerous kind.”

Jeeny: “So you’re saying hiding it makes it worse?”

Jack: “No, I’m saying pretending it’s gone makes it explode later. Ever heard of that guy from the office who suddenly loses it one day? He’s the one who’s been saying ‘I’m fine’ for five years straight.”

Host: The rain intensified, rattling against the glass like the unspoken words between them. Jeeny leaned forward, her hands now clasped, eyes burning softly.

Jeeny: “But isn’t it also true that anger isn’t always bad? Sometimes it’s the only fuel people have to fight against injustice. Think