5 posts tagged “novel”
Chapter 10
His coffee cup clinked slightly as he placed it down with gentle care. It was expensive China that the McAllister’s had given him that one Christmas and he treated it as such. This was his morning routine, to have coffee and pastries with his secretary Jane Mulrooney. She was an older woman, nearing 60 but still as bright and sharp as a 20 year old. She was as devoted to her job as she was to the Lord and since she attended Church whenever she could and even did readings, in his book, she was as devoted as one could get without being a Nun. She was also a real joy to have in the rectory, since truth be told, this place could get mighty lonely. To at least be able to hear someone puttering about downstairs, making coffee, typing on the computer, talking on the phone, it was a comfort when the hours stretched too long and the silence became too loud to bear.
She always showed up to work with donuts or cinnamon rolls or some other sweet and Father Mulkerrin always made the coffee. Then they would sit quietly, chatting occasionally but for the most part it was silent though a comfortable one. If Samuel knew what it was like to be married, he would have compared it to the sort of comfort a Husband and Wife must have around one another. Just at peace in each others presence, nothing more, no questioning, no obligation to fill the air with idle chit chat, just comfort and peace.
That was his life’s goal after all, to find pure peace in his life with the Lord’s help and to show that peace to others and guide them onto the path of being one with the Lord as well. It was hard work sometimes, especially with the younger generations. Peoples Faith was faltering and he knew why. It was a hard and cruel world they lived in and try as he might, most kids were already lost. They played video games, watched TV shows, their minds were warped to think that guns and bloodshed, violence and horror was “cool” while living a good and noble life was “lame.”
But today was not a day to worry about these things. If they were meant to accept God, they would accept him in due time. All Father Mulkerrin could do was be there for them when they came to this realization. And he would be, as he always was. He was there for all the people in his Parish and they were there for him.
His thoughts were soon broken by the clink of Mrs. Mulrooney’s cup and a contented sigh. Glancing away from the window and over to her he smiled gently and she smiled back, saying easily, “That was just what I needed. It was tough to get out of bed this morning.”
Nodding in agreement he took another sip of his coffee and said quietly, “That it was, it’s getting colder outside, makes it a chore to get up in the morning.” With a smile the older woman nodded and stood, gathering her coffee cup and saucer and walked into the next room. Samuel listened distractedly as the water ran in the Kitchen as she rinsed their plates out in the sink. She would run the dishwasher for him in the afternoon, most likely after lunch; it was part of their routine.
As he listened to her rinse out the dishes and heard them clattering against the metal of the sink, his mind drifted to the dream he had had that night. He often had dreams where he comforted people; it was in his nature to be a caregiver. But it had been so long since he had dreamt of Paul. And he was surprised at how much he had been thinking about it. Shaking his head he sighed and wondered what Mrs. Mulrooney would say about it. They talked about dreams sometimes and Faith, obviously. She had been his friend for years, he was sure she would listen and not judge.
So with a quiet clearing of his throat he lifted his head and let his fingers rest on the tabletop, not turning around to glance at the doorway, figuring she would come back into the room at her own pace. His voice was gentle, but loud enough to be heard in the kitchen, blue eyes gazing out the window at the cars passing by and the birds flying.
“Mrs. Mulrooney…what stock do you hold in dreams?”
Her footsteps were soft as she came back through the kitchen and sat down in her usual seat. Her smile was bright but gentle, eyes compassionate and a little confused at his random question. But she answered as always, voice soft and soothing.
“I don’t think they’re as symbolic as some people do but, I think they’re there for a reason. Why?”
He felt his brows furrow as he frowned and thought. Why was he asking this? Did he want confirmation that he wasn’t crazy? Was he nearing some sort of mental breakdown because he dreamt about his long dead twin? Did this dream have more significance or was he just exaggerating, blowing things out of proportion? His blue eyes must have looked as confused as he felt because when he raised his eyes her face had softened and her eyes were worried but he was quick to speak, to try and dispel her concerns.
“I had a dream last night about my Brother…Paul, my twin who died when we were young. I’ve mentioned him before?”
The older woman nodded and said gently, “Yes, once or twice, I know that you two were very close.”
Samuel nodded and took a deep breath for a moment, to try and steady himself. He watched his fingers rest against the white table cloth, listened to the hum of the radiator, the usual sounds of the old rectory settling. He didn’t want to talk about it, didn’t want to dredge up all the old memories. But he knew that this dream was important, for whatever reason. He just knew it in his heart. With a resigned sigh he shook his head and glanced up at Joan Mulrooney once more and said in a soft voice, “I haven’t dreamt of him in years. I pray for him, I pray that his soul is at peace and that he is in the presence of God and I pray that I will see him again. But…I haven’t thought about him in such a long time.”
His lips pursed tight together as he paused and thought, trying to sort through his words. Blinking slowly he glanced up at Joan, who was watching him with a soft but sad smile, patient as always, letting him finish his story.
“It wasn’t a nightmare, nothing frightening or unsettling about it. But what sticks out in my mind is when I hugged my Mother, to comfort her, I remember feeling very peaceful. I understood that Paul’s time had come, that God had called him home and that he was alright, that he was safe and happy where he was. And I remember holding my Mother, who had been crying so hard before, but as I thought about how peaceful and happy Paul must be, I began to feel the same way, serene, happy for my Brother that he had found this eternal rest, that he was in paradise. And as I felt that serenity, I realized that my Mother’s shoulders had relaxed, that she was no longer crying and when I looked down she was looking up at me with a smile, looking as reassured and confident as I was, assured that Paul was somewhere better.”
Again his lips pursed tight together as he tried to think this through. Was that it, was he unsettled by the fact that his Mother had been so sure of Paul’s fate, that she had felt the same as he, that Paul was in a better place? Was he unnerved by the fact that it had been as if his very emotions had drifted from his mind to steal into his Mothers’ and make her feel the very same way? Why would that upset him though? Shaking his head he let out a slight laugh and ran fingers through his unruly brown hair and leaned back in the chair saying with a bit of a smile, “It was just…strange I guess. I don’t usually have that affect on people or something, but…it was just a dream.”
Blue eyes glanced up at Mrs. Mulrooney again and he was comforted to see that she was sitting there, still smiling and understanding. As he laughed it off and shrugged, saying that it was just a dream, all she did was reach forward and squeeze his fingers with her own for a moment. Then she stood and smiled down at him, her voice soft and comforting, as always.
“I think that dream was just God’s way of telling you that you’re a very good person, very strong in your Faith and people come to you to feel comforted in troubled times, like your Mother, you’re able to comfort people with a word.”
At her kind words Samuel smiled gently and gave her fingers a squeeze back as he nodded and said, “Thank you Joan…that means a lot.” And it did. Sometimes he wondered if the older woman really knew how much he appreciated having her around. His chance to tell her was thwarted though as the phone rang sharply through the house and she hurried off to answer it. As he listened to her chat away in the other room he leaned back in his chair and went back to looking out of the window, watching the world pass by and wondering if her words were true. Did God give him that dream for a reason? Or was it just a dream…
He would probably never know.
Chapter 9
That bird was staring at her. Its beady black eyes kept looking at her, she knew it. She was sure if anyone saw her out here having a staring contest with a normal, every day sparrow; they’d think she was insane. And right now, Jenny was pretty sure she wouldn’t disagree with them. That dream had just been so vivid, she hadn’t had one of those in a really long time, at least not that she could remember. Still, even though she knew she was acting crazy, she stood there, smoking her cigarette slowly and staring at the bird, trying to will it to speak.
A little chirp and it tipped its puffy head, watching her carefully. With a small hop it brought itself just a hair closer and Jenny took another drag off her cigarette. Another chirp and another hop brought it just that bit closer and Jenny felt a slight, tremulous smile creep to her lips. This was crazy; the thing was just coming closer to her because it probably thought she had food. Animals didn’t actually know what she was thinking. It had just been a dream.
She had been trying to convince herself of that fact all morning. But after four cups of coffee and barely any work done, she still couldn’t shake it. It was just too weird. And why had Rhine been there? She hadn’t thought about that poor Dog for years. Tock made sense, she owned him right now. But the neighbors cat, the crow, it was just weird. She had always liked animals, had always found them fascinating, always wanted as many of them as she could. Her Mother had only been willing to let her have Rhine, and then a little Beta Fish she had called Bluey.
But, she wasn’t Dr. Doolittle or anything; it had just been a dream. Still, as the Sparrow hopped ever closer, she couldn’t help but wonder. Blinking slowly she let out another drag off her cigarette and turned to put it in the ashtray. And then the small bird had hopped up from the ground and flapped its wings the short distance until it was sitting on the edge of the ashcan, just inches from Jenny’s fingers.
Instantly she froze, a breath of laughter dying on her lips. This was insane, stuff like this didn’t happen. With her luck the thing had rabies. But then again, could birds even get rabies? Still…mingled with the tension and fear that the proximity of the bird stirred within her, she was intrigued as well. Tentatively she lifted up her hand, fingers bent slightly, reaching, slow millimeter by slow millimeter towards the small bird but then, a voice broke her concentration and the bird flew off.
“Those things bite ya know.”
The frown that pressed against her lips was sudden and furious. Turning around with a glare she found herself looking at Peter Smith, one of her friends/adversaries at work. She liked but hated him all at the same time, she wasn’t sure how that was possible but, she did all the same. With a sigh she leaned against the wall and crossed her arms stubbornly before her chest, saying lightly, “Biting requires teeth…if anything it would’ve pecked me…”
She heard the clink of a zippo lighter and glanced with narrowed eyes to watch as he flipped the contraption open and quickly lit his cigarette. The cover clacked closed and he tossed it in his blazer pocket, dragging the smoke into his lungs for a long time and watching her with narrowed eyes. But his eyes weren’t narrowed out of anger as hers were; they were narrowed to ward off the sting of smoke as it drifted off on the breeze. And once he had let out that breath he motioned towards her with his cigarette and began walking down the stairs towards her, though Jenny visibly stiffened.
“So, you’re a bird expert huh? A member of the Audubon society and everything?”
Rolling her eyes she let out a sigh and couldn’t help but smile as she shook her head and brushed a stray strand of curly brown hair from her eyes, saying quietly, “No…”
He walked down the rest of the stairs and then moved to sit on the last one, stretching his long legs out and crossing his ankles together, pointing at her with the glowing cigarette. His eyes were still narrowed but now it was because of the gleaming afternoon sun shining brightly off the windshields of the many cars stretched across the parking lot. She listened to his words and watched dimly as the smoke drifted off his cigarette.
“So for all you know, that bird could be like the only bird with teeth and I just saved you from a vicious mauling from a rabid sparrow.”
Pursing her lips together she lifted a brow at him and said with a grin, “Are there many rabid sparrows here in Seattle?”
The man spread his hands wide and then rummaged in his pocket for a minute to pull out an extra cigarette and hold it out to her, saying with a smile that was all teeth, “Oh hundreds.” Taking the offered cigarette she lit it quickly and then sat down next to him, saying through a breath of smoke, the smile unmistakable on her lips, “Well, I guess I owe you a thank you then.”
She felt him shrug and his voice was easier now as he said quietly, “Eh, I’ll write you an I.O.U for now, I’m in a generous mood.” A slow drag was taken off her cigarette and she let out the breath with a laugh as she nodded and stared across the gleaming parking lot, saying low, “Well, looks like today’s my luck day.”
“Damn right it is” was said with a gleam of teeth through the corner of her eye and then they continued to smoke in silence.
Chapter 8
“Did ya ever think about what kinda power you’d have if you were a superhero?”
His partner’s words caught him off guard and Rock couldn’t help but let a snort of laughter escape from his lips. Glancing at Jensen, his much younger and excitable partner, Rock took a sip of his coffee and then turned back to his newspaper, saying mildly, “Yeah, sometimes…”
He heard the seat creak as the boy sat back, easing himself into a more comfortable position as he chewed noisily on his gum. His voice was breathy, broken with each chew as he nodded and continued to stare out the windshield, saying easily, “I always wanted ta be able to fly, like jumpin off buildings and shit, flyin around and no one could catch me, it was awesome.” Letting out a slight smile Rock shook his head and continued to read his paper, not glancing up as Jensen asked him another question. His voice was expectant as he turned to glance at him and said excitedly, “So…what was yours?”
“Hrm?”
A note of exasperation fell into mix with Jensen’s words and he heard him sigh, as Rock continued to read his newspaper, only half listening. “What would yer powers be, yeah? I mean, like, flying, laser vision or something, what’d you always wanna be able to do?”
Dimly a thought went back to the dream he had had that night and how good it had felt to speed around the world. How he had been the fastest, the best, no one could ever catch him in those dreams. He always woke with a smile on his lips afterward, feeling invigorated, alive. And once he thought about it for a bit, he realized that he had been having dreams about super speed since he was little. And it was no different. He’d always wake up and the first thing he’d say to his Mother that morning over cereal was how awesome his dream had been. And still, to this day, he tended to chat to his wife about it, who simply smiled and said that that would be fun, though he knew she didn’t really care.
So without really thinking about it Rock took another sip of his coffee, put the flimsy Styrofoam cup back into the holder and turned the page to the funnies, saying easily, “Super speed.”
A moment of silence followed and Rock could only guess that Jensen was analyzing his answer. But then the boy was talking again, just as excited as ever.
“Super speed, like the flash? That’d be awesome, being able to run around the world like 30 times in 3.5 seconds. When I was younger my brother let me borrow this book called Infinite Crisis and it was like about all these parallel universes in the DC comics universe and they all kinda got mixed up but there was this awesome part where like a mini super man was going apeshit and killing all these people but then all of a sudden three flashes show up and they’re just running him around the world again and again, it was awesome!”
This time, the smile that came to Richard’s lips was bright. Finally looking up from his newspaper he nodded and said sincerely, “That does sound pretty cool Benny, you’ll have to let me borrow it sometime ok?”
His partners brown eyes were bright as he smiled big and said, “Sure, no problem.” Then with a glance at the clock he let out a groan and started the engine, the squad car coughing to life as he sighed and shifted gears, saying loudly, “Lunch over, back to work, blah, blah, blah” while Richard just laughed, glad to have such an enthusiastic kid as his partner, it definitely made the days a bit more bearable.
Chapter 7
“Yeah, buh ih jus dun’t make sense Tadgh.”
His friend Darrel walked beside him, the smoke from his cigarette wafting away to curl into his hair and brush against his shoulders. He was tall and gangly with strands of dirty blonde hair hanging into dark blue eyes. He always hunched over when he walked and Tadgh knew that it was because he wanted to look “mysterious” have that hair hang down into his eyes and give him a dark and brooding look. Tadgh thought it was bullshit but the guy had had a girlfriend since the time he was 13, so he was obviously doing something right...
Tadgh on the other hand walked slowly, hands shoved deep into his light Autumn jacket. His own blonde hair was swept and gelled away from his face, the boy always having to brush it away just so he could see. It was almost time to get it cut again. Green eyes glanced around the park, noting the passers by. The two Mothers pushing baby carriages around, the old man with his jowly bulldog Winston. Two kids throwing leaves and screeching while their Mom’s watched from a nearby bench and drank coffee. It seemed as if he and Darry were the only teenage boys in the park.
Maybe it was because most boys their age were in school right now. He knew his Mom was gonna kill him if she caught him skipping but right now, he really didn’t care. Things were tense enough at the house with Aunt Esme’s death, he figured she really wouldn’t care if she found out he had skipped one lousy Friday at School. They weren’t doing anything important anyway, no tests, no papers, just a regular Friday. So when he had met up with Darrel on his way to the bus, they had both decided that today should be spent walking and talking, like they sometimes did.
And especially since the dream the other night had Tadgh more than a little startled. He wanted someone to talk to about it. He had explained it to Darrel as best he could, describing all the images he remembered. How Esme had been sitting beside him and then when he went up to the Casket she had been in it, it had turned out that they had been at her funeral, she was the one that had died. And right when he woke up, right when the phone rang, that hole that had formed in the pit of his stomach at the sound of his Dad’s voice, he knew what had happened. His Father hadn’t even had to say anything and Tadgh knew that Aunt Esme was dead.
His dream had been true.
With a slight frown, taking a short drag of his own cigarette Tadgh shrugged and said through a haze of smoke, “I nah ih sounds bahshih Dar buh, is true. I picked up the phone an me Dah saih ta wake me Mum cause Aunt Esme were deah.”
His friend glanced at him, not before grinning at one of the women walking by with the two boys who were done throwing leaves at each other. Blinking Tadgh nudged him with an elbow and muttered, “Doo, some subtlety’d be nice yeah?” Darrel gave a snort and dragged off his cigarette again, tossing his hair away from his eyes with a shake of the head, saying through a mouthful of smoke, “I dun mean ta make ih soun lie yer crazy Pal buh…I mean…well…wha dih Trey say bout ih?”
At the mention of his older Brother, Tadgh frowned. If anyone had been more upset about the death of Aunt Esme, than their Mother, he had a feeling it was Trey. He had never actually seen his brother cry. Well, sure, the scraped knee when he was a kid, but not since he had hit the age of 16. But at the new the tears had welled in his brothers’ eyes and he had locked himself in the bathroom before anyone could talk to him about it. It had been startling, to see someone who was usually so stoic break down so easily.
With a sigh he took the last drag off his cigarette and tossed it aside, letting his breath out in a loud sigh and saying quietly, “Din’t tell ‘im…’e aint doin too gooh, with the whole…Esme thin. They were close.”
Finally Darrel glanced over at Tadgh to study him for a minute with those dark blue eyes. Then with a shrug he struggled with words for a minute and once he spoke, Tadgh frowned slightly. “Nah, I dun’t mean ta sound offensive er wha, buh…I mean, she were jus ya great Aunt…why’s everyone so shih abouh ih anyway?”
Tadgh frowned and lifted a brow at his friend, a look of, “Thanks guy, real nice” crossing over his smooth features but he sighed and began to explain. He glanced down at his nicotine stained hands as he muttered, “Me Mum’s parents died in a car crash when she were real young. So…Esme took ‘er an me Uncle Denny in. Raised em up lie they were ‘er own kihs, cause she neva ‘ad any when she were young. She neva gah married, so…me Mum and Denny were ‘er only chance ta ever really take care a summit. An…she loved ih, she loved them. An when me Mum gah married, she’d babysit me an Trey all the time, we’d gah ta ‘er ‘ouse in Dublin all the time, see each otha evry’ Holiday.” He felt his brows furrow as a wave of emotion threatened to pull at his slowly crumbling barriers. He hadn’t cried yet, he had wanted to be strong for his Mother and his Father, for everyone. He knew that the Funeral was going to be Hell, and he’d probably end up locking himself in the bathroom like Trey had done that first night.
Right now though, he couldn’t cry in front of Darrel. The kid would never let him hear the end of it. Alright, that wasn’t true, he was his friend, he’d understand, but still, Tadgh didn’t feel like embarrassing himself right now. So with a shaky sigh he shrugged his thin shoulders and said quietly, voice strained, “Tha’s ih really…”
From the corner of his eyes he watched as Darrel lit up another cigarette, holding one out to him, which Tadgh gently took, and then spoke as smoke poured from his lips. His eyes narrowed against the sting as he let a breath out through his nose, the smoke trailing from his nostrils like an angry dragon, as he shrugged and nodded, saying easily, “So she were lie yer Grandma, yeah?” Tadgh nodded, eyes closed tight for a moment to push back the sorrow as he lit the cigarette and said quietly, “Yeah…” Darrel seemed to consider that for a minute and then he frowned, saying softly, “I’m sorry Tadgh…tha blows.”
Though his friends eloquence left something to be desired, the boy nodded and said with a slight smile, dragging deep on the cigarette again, “Yeah…yeah ih does” continuing to walk with his friend their pace slow and steady, clouds of smoke trailing behind them all the while.
Chapter 6
There was something on her shoe. A thin black eyebrow lifted as she glanced at the sole of her sneaker, noting the strange patch of white. She sighed at the realization that she had stepped in gum again. She always seemed to step in gum. And then it would get all over her pants when she tucked her foot under her which is how she usually sat. Great, another pair of pants ruined. She’d have to run to the bathroom and check afterward, for now though, she sat silently and waited.
He was doing something on his computer, fingers against his lips, blue eyes staring at the screen, reading. He had asked for just a minute and Kiara gave it to him, sitting silently, watching his back as he studied whatever was on the screen. She had narrowed her eyes, squinting, in attempts to see what he was reading. It looked like some sort of Email so she felt bad for snooping. But her eyesight was terrible and it was highly unlikely that she’d be able to read it from this distance. It gave her something else to do though besides listen to the incessant ticking of the clock.
The volume of that clock seemed to change depending on the mood she was in whenever she entered the office. On days she was doing well, happy, thinking positively, it was barely there, the tick almost inaudible. And on days where she just didn’t feel like talking, wanted to be silent, isolated and upset, the ticking was deafening, each second passing by in the wake of its own sonic boom.
Today the clock was indifferent. She heard it but didn’t focus on it. She wasn’t sure how she was feeling right now. Things weren’t terrible but they could be better. It was one of those in between days where she wasn’t sure if she was happy or sad. She was content; that was probably the best way to describe it. Though she knew that he’d take the word “content” to mean “not sure” and drill her about what she wasn’t sure about in her life.
But she could talk about what she wasn’t sure about in her life for more than hour, much more than hour, she could probably talk about that for days. Time was of the essence though and she figured she might as well make the most of the time they had together. And soon he had turned around in his chair and smiled brightly at her, the laugh lines around his eyes wrinkling as he stretched his feet out and rested them on a chair that sat beside her, making himself comfortable before he spoke.
“So, how ya doin today Kid?”
She met his gaze with a small smile of her own, finding it amusing that he always called her Kid. She liked the nickname; she always connected it with what a big brother would call their younger sister. But she had never had a big brother, she had never had any siblings, so she didn’t know if they actually called their younger siblings kid. But the fact that he called her Kid, it made her smile and blush but also feel young. But she didn’t really mind. He was older than her after all, at least 40 but sometimes he acted 20 years younger and that’s why she liked him so much. He understood her, could get down on her level and really understand things. She was sure that it was because he had, of course, been in his early 20’s before and he had gone through his own period of growing up and difficulty with life etc. But it was still comforting, that someone just seemed to understand her so well.
Her friends always said he was nice to her because he was getting paid to be. But she never liked to believe that. It was probably true but it was more comforting to think that he actually understood her and really wanted to help her. She just shrugged off her friend’s words and let herself believe that they were just pessimistic, wanting to drag her down further than she already was. She knew she was being silly but, she felt like she had a friend in Dr. Tobias Williams and enjoyed their sessions together, always leaving feeling peaceful and ready to face the world.
With a smile she shrugged and tugged one foot under her, shifting in the seat to make herself more comfortable as she glanced away from him and said easily, “Ok, for the most part.” For some reason, maybe just because she found him attractive, she had trouble looking into his eyes. She also knew that was supposed to be a sign that you were lying, or you weren’t confident or something else like that. But she just had trouble looking at him. It made her feel stupid and bumbling and tongue tied like a silly teenager with a crush on a teacher or something. He had explained that to her before, it was called transference and it happened quite often. When people thought they were in love with their therapists, but it was more that they were in love with what the therapists did for them. They helped them, they listened, they let them figure out their problems and just gave slight pushes when needed and words of comfort when sought.
She was pretty sure that’s what it was and besides, she had always been prone to having crushes on older men, teachers and such, she just liked to think that it was because all the boys her age were stupid, immature and selfish. Which was basically true. It was impossible to find a date with a nice boy, at least that’s what she kept telling herself. She didn’t really actively look for boyfriends, too tired of being rejected and always having her friends being picked over her.
But she didn’t want to talk about relationships today, those were always tiring, emotional sessions and she left feeling drained and miserable. Today, she wasn’t sure what she wanted to talk about. But Dr. Williams was always good about figuring out what subjects were on her mind. So with that bright smile again he shrugged his shoulders and lifted thin blonde eyebrows as he said, “For the most part…so something’s not entirely ok?”
Frowning slightly at her choice of words, realizing that she had made it seem like something was bothering her, she took a minute to think her words over. Was something bothering her? Things at home were alright, quiet, but alright. Work was…work. She was still looking for something permanent; she didn’t want to spend the rest of her life at Starbucks as a Barista. Her friends were, her friends. She had found herself getting more easily annoyed with them recently .She had taken to staying at home more often, even on the weekends. Earlier in the year she’d be out every Saturday night, wasting money, drinking and having a good time. Now though, even the idea of spending time with her friends, well one girl in particular, Victoria, sent shivers down her spine. The girl was as annoying as they came.
Kiara wasn’t sure if she was just being a bitch and judging the girl or something but she just couldn’t stand the thought of her recently. Maybe she should talk about her today? She just wasn’t sure. Her lips continued to frown, teeth biting gently at her bottom lip as she let out a breath and shook her head, voice low, distant, still thinking.
“Well, I mean, things are kinda the same. Family’s family, friends are…friends. Work’s work. Nothing much changes really. You know me; I don’t lead a very exciting life.” She smiled at her own self-deprecating words, knowing they were true and Dr. Williams smiled slightly as well, nodding his head in agreement. He knew everything about her so he knew that most nights after work she simply went home, slept, read, and watched TV. Her life was routine, day by day and only every now and again would she dare break it. He stretched his arms behind his head and then settled himself in his chair again, netting his fingers together and lifting his brows, saying with an easy shrug, “Alright, so what do you want to talk about today? Let’s try and make your life a little more exciting huh?”
Blinking she considered his words for a moment. They had had sessions like this before; he gave her advice, ideas how to have more fun. How to meet new people, cool places to go with her friends but she didn’t always listen. Sometimes she’d step out of her bubble and do something unexpected, like that random day trip to Maine she had taken with her friend a couple weeks ago. It hadn’t been anything life changing but it had been nice to spend hours on the road and walk around somewhere new and different.
With a nod she grinned and said quietly, “Sure…can’t hurt to try.”
