Threapy Session (Blogophilia 22.13)

The assistant opened the door and waved me in. It was a small office. Hospital white walls glowed with sunlight. A black leather couch with plain, square arms sat along the far wall, The back was high enough to shade the incoming light from the window behind. Where the magic happens, I guess. A side chair was to my right, I guess that's where the doctor sits. At the last office, the chairs were facing each other. I wonder if there's coffee? My eyes feel like they are going to fall into my head Maybe if I lie down. No. Mom always said first impressions were important and I don't want to appear weak. I take a seat.

To me, this was all a highway to nowhere. It isn't that I've lost my edge. Everyone else has. But something had to be done, I guess. Three jobs in three years because I didn't fit. The last firing turned ugly. The judge gave me the choice of this or jail. But it didn't mean he had to like it. The first session at the hospital felt like a police interview. "Why are you feeling this way?" Would I be here if I knew the answer to that? I left and didn't go back. My lawyer called and asked what happened. I told him and he set me up here. 

A woman entered with two styrofoam cups and a folder full of papers.

Mr. Harris?" I shake the offered hand. Her voice has a professional monotone quality about it. " My name is Carla Heathcox and I have been assigned as your new therapist."

I take the cup offered. Oof. Strong. It should keep me awake. Like the couch, Carla was unremarkable. Maybe my age or a little younger. A sensible suit covered a not fat, but not skinny body. The blonde hair needed touchups. Obvious pockmarks hid under cream-colored foundation. If it weren't for the framed diplomas on the wall she could pass for a secretary somewhere. 

Setting her cup on the table, she opened the folder and began.

"Let's get to know each other. And you can call me Carla. Can I call you Bobby?"

"Sure."

She sat in the side chair and opened the folder.

"In reviewing the notes from Dr. McGhee, it said you have difficulty relating to people as adults. That usually indicates trust issues. They may be caused by something current or rooted in childhood trauma. I want to try something different."

She pulled out a photograph and tossed it on the table.

 

"What do you see?"

Maybe if I stall we'll run out of time and I can get on with my life. Carla's face was passive.

"Take your time, Bobby."

She wasn't giving any space for me to drag it out further. Finally, I gave in.

"It looks like the house in Florida I lived in when I was little." 

Carla made a note. "What part of Florida?"

"Winter Park, outside Orlando."

"Really?" Recognition went up in her eyes as she made a note. "I grew up in Maitland. Where about?”

Looking for a connection. OK. I'll play.

"Near the Navy Base."

She shrugged. A tidbit that didn’t matter. "How long did you live there?"

"It seemed like forever, but it was only 5th and 6th grade before we moved back up north."

Pen scratches.

"What memories do you have?"

Wow, she can talk and write at the same time. I never could.

"I wish I could forget the place. It was a military neighborhood and we weren’t. The other kids 

thought I was some sort of alien. 

More writing I wonder if she runs out of paper, she'll let me loose?

"What else about the picture reminds you of Florida."

"The sidewalk. Our house had one just like it. Mom would kick me and tell me not to come back until dark so she could drink with her lady friends. I spent a lot of time on the concrete." 

"Was your father around?"

"He traveled. I might see him for a weekend a month."

"Did you ever go skinny dipping?"

Huh? Where'd that question come from?

 "I never said I lived near a lake."

"All Orlando is is lakes." She giggled. "That's how we escaped heatstroke."

I tried to imagine this lady jumping off a dock naked. I couldn't.

“I have a hard time believing that.”

She looked me in the eye.

“It’s true.”

It was like we were playing a game of Truth or Dare. I take a slow sip of the coffee and decide on the truth.

"Well, a girl pulled down my pants and threw me in a lake."

The pen stopped. Carla's expression was a mix of horror...and was that remembrance? She shifted her chair closer.

"You mean into a lake?"

"Yes."

"That's embarrassing." The blue eyes filled with kindness. "Do you want to tell me how it happened?"

I look into my cup for a long time before answering.

"The girl's name was Kelly. She lived in the house behind me. Her dad had retired from the Navy and worked at the Air Force base across town."

"Was she older or younger than you?"

"She was a grade behind, but she was actually older. She said it was because of all the moves." 

"What did she look like?"

"Kind of skinny with a messy blonde ponytail. I don't think she ever brushed it, even in school."

"Maybe like Peppermint Patty?"

"Yeah, now that I think of it. And I guess I was her Charlie Brown."

"Go on."

Fear began to build in my stomach. The words were fire as they left me.

"It was a hot day. I was in the front yard trying to decide whether to put on a shirt and ride up to the 7-11 to get an Icee."

"Your mom didn't mind you taking off?"

I laughed at the suggestion I looked at my empty cup. I could use some more.

"Mom was in the living room playing bridge with her friends. She wouldn't have noticed.”

"I see."

"While I was figuring this out, Kelly walked up. She had a book in her hand called 'Where the Sidewalk Ends'. 

Carla's eyes lit up. "I remember my teacher reading that in class. I always thought it was silly." 

I kept going.

"She pointed to a line, 'We'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow” and said we should do it. We walked measured and slow down to the end of the sidewalk. There was a boat landing back in the woods.

Why is my head in my hands? My body began to shudder.

"We walked out to the end of the dock. I looked at each other and something changed. She suddenly pulled at my shorts. Next thing I know, I was naked in the water and she was laughing. I went back to the house crying."

Carla's voice whispered in my ear.

"Bobby?"

I look up through my tears and saw Carla was on the couch looking at me.

"Did you think about getting back at her?"

My voice waivered

"Yeah, but she moved before I could. But I can tell you I never treated a girl like she treated me."

"What if I told you a secret? My middle name is Kelly. I thought I recognized your name when I got the file."

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Topic-Tyler Myrth

Pic- Rebecca S Revels

Pic guesses: Bridge over troubled waters. Still water, In the woods (in blog) stream, green river