Introduction
The room was nothing short of hellish. The red velvet sofa sagged so deeply than some of the younger clients had been known to vanish within its folds. The throw pillows were lumpy and misshapen; their original shapes lost to the fury and abuse of countless stress release exercises. The carpets had suffered badly from years of neglect and had begun to peel away from the corners of the room, exposing the rotting wooden floors beneath them. The air was hot and sleepy, and made it difficult to stay awake or concentrate. Kevin had thought that after the many years she had worked here she would have become accustomed to it, unfortunately she never had. She couldn’t even open the window due to one particularly violent client who, in a fit, had dented the frame. Marie glanced up at the grandfather clock in the corner with minimal interest. Then, with an effort, pulled herself out of her chair and opened the door to the waiting room.
“Mrs. Dawn Alderson?” he called. “Are you ready?”
In the wicker chair nearest to the exit, a woman set down her magazine, glanced up at her and nodded.
“Well, Come on in then and we’ll get started” Kevin said, injecting his voice with as much enthusiasm as he could muster.
Mrs. Alderson rose gracefully, and followed Kevin into the office. Once they were both inside, Kevin closed the door and returned to his own chair and began searching for a pen. He gestured silently at the lumpy sofa, encouraging Mrs. Alderson to sit. Mrs. Alderson however did not move toward or even look at the sofa. Instead she stood near the door, hands clasped in front of her, staring intently at Maria.
“You’re free to sit down Mrs. Alderson.” Kevin hinted “It makes things easier if you’re relaxed.”
“Call me Dawn please” she whispered moving slowly towards the sofa “Mrs. Alderson is my professional name.”
Kevin smiled as Dawn began to lower herself cautiously down on the sofa. “Alright then Dawn, would you like to tell me why you’re here?”
Dawn had just opened her mouth when the sofa sagged suddenly and she sunk nearly a foot into the red velvet cushion with a small yelp. Kevin stifled a giggle as Dawn attempted to raise herself up slightly only to succeed in further enveloping herself.
“I’m very sorry about the couch Dawn” Kevin offered, focusing all his restraint on keeping his laughter silent. “The department refuses to help us pay for a new one, and none of our employees have one they’re willing to part with.”
“No, no it’s alright.” Dawn sighed “I have one just like it in my office. My clients all tell me that they hate it, but I thought they were just being dramatic.”
“Where do you work Dawn?” Kevin asked, flipping to a blank page of his notebook.
“I have my own therapy practice.” Dawn replied, lying back against the couch and resting her feet on the arm rest. “Clientele bases, appointments, even an office like this, I guess, only my couch is green.”
Kevin paused, confused. He had never thought about the possibility that a therapist would need therapy.
Dawn lay still on the couch, staring at the ceiling. For several minutes she did nothing, and then she suddenly sighed loudly, and twisted her head to face Kevin. “I suppose you’re wondering why I’m here” she murmured. Kevin nodded slowly and leaned in towards Dawn lacing his fingers together underneath his chin
Dawn turned her head slowly back towards the ceiling.
“I’d like to tell you a story.”
2 comments:
AWESOME introduction.
This one demands more! Mooooooooorrrrrreeee!
Do it.
The only thing I noticed was this in the opening paragraph: Kevin had thought that after the many years she had worked here[...] Marie glanced up at the grandfather clock[...]
The transition from Kevin to Marie is confusing at first go.
oops, that one slipped by me. The character was originally a girl named maria.
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