Perhaps he would be interested in doing a Retrouvaille weekend with you to improve the communication. (Not that there is a problem now, but there is so much baggage, and it's amazing how you can jettison baggage at a Retrouvaille weekend.) Usually the presence of a third party is a no-starter for Retrouvaille, but it sounds like that has lost its sizzle for him. He would just have to say there's no 3rd party involved when they call to confirm.
