AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“So what do you wanna do, drive into the city and drop him off in the Bluff? You wanted your son to have a better life, and you gave him that. Instead of being pissed off, you should be glad he doesn’t have to see the shit you saw.”
From the other side of the living room wall, Bakari finally allowed his tears to fall. He wasn’t sure what his father wanted from him. He was big and strong and played one of the manliest sports in the world. He liked girls. Hegotgirls, a whole gang of them. He hadn’t cried in front of his father since puberty hit even though that was also when the random bouts of sadness hit. Whatever else his dad wanted from him, he didn’t have it to give. He was just as frustrated as they were, but there were no answers. Only pain.
“Are you really putting him out?” Iesha asked.
“We’reputting him out.”
“That’s funny, cuz I don’t remember you asking for my input. There’s no ‘we’ here.”
“We’re a united front.”
Iesha laughed. “Are we? You can’t just declare it and make it true. At some point, you actually have to put action behind those words, Joe.”
He was quiet for a minute. “I can’t have my son squaring up at me. Can’t do it. I don’t know where he’s going, but he can’t be here. Not tonight, at least. Do with that what you will. I’m done.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Dr.Meriwether’sofficewasice cold. So cold, Bria needed a sweater. In September. Just like at school. As she sat there, shivering, waiting for the doctor to come in, she thought about Destin, of all things. It was never cold in Destin.
It had gotten more and more crowded over the years, and her mother constantly complained about how touristy everything was, but she still looked forward to going every year. This past vacation had been the worst one she’d ever had, for obvious reasons, but even a bad week at the beach is still better than being at home.
She missed the warmth and the smell of salt in the air. The sand between her toes and the shimmering blue of the ocean. Getting Daddy’s credit card and going shopping on the strip with her mother and Carmen while Daddy stayed at the house and napped or watched TV. The early evening barbecue—Daddy loved getting on the grill—and then that one cup of daiquiri or watered down margarita her parents let her drink because it was vacation. Being left alone some nights while her parents found a nightclub or bar to go be grown at. And everyone going out to eat on the last night and waiting two and three hours for a table, all because Daddy wanted to show off his girls. Would it ever be the same? She had a feeling it wouldn’t, and the weight of that feeling nearly crushed her.
It was only her second session, but Bria already felt at ease with Dr. Meriwether. Maybe it was training, maybe it was instinct, but the woman seemed to get Bria in a way nobody else did, not even Danielle.
“Bria, how are you?” she asked as she breezed into the room. Dr. Meriwether always looked and smelled good, like she worked in a high rise office building and bossed people around all day.
“I’m okay.”
Dr. Meriwether smiled warmly. She reminded Bria of her Aunt Caroline. Both were dark-skinned with perfectly white teeth and eyelashes so long they could pass for falsies. “Good. So what are we talking about today?”
Bria stared at her hands. “Before we start, I have a question. If I tell you something…like a secret…would you tell anybody else?”
“No, dear, what you tell me stays in this office. It’s called doctor-patient confidentiality.”
Bria wasn’t satisfied with that. “Does that apply toeverythingI say?”
“Well, most things. The few things it doesn’t cover aren’t anything for you to worry about.”
That’s what you think.“What things aren’t covered?”
Dr. Meriwether pushed her glasses higher on her nose and sat back in her leather chair. “Well, let’s see…a lot of it depends on state laws, but if you and I were having a casual conversation outside on the street, what you say may or may not be covered. In cases of criminal activity, particularly the abuse of a minor, I would be required to report it. Or if you came in and told me you wanted to harm your parents, for example, I might be legally obligated to report it.” She studied Bria’s face. “Is there something you’re worried about?”
Bria stared at her hands and picked at her bandage. It wasn’t the time. “No. I was just curious.”
“Okay. I see you’re still picking." She gestured to Bria’s hands.
Bria was silent for a moment, and then she answered, “School was okay today. I was tired. Almost fell asleep in Chemistry class.”
Dr. Meriwether let the moment pass. “How have you been sleeping at home?”
“I’m still having a hard time falling asleep. It’s like a cycle I can’t get out of. I stare at the ceiling, and then I finally fall asleep like an hour before I’m supposed to get up for school. And then I’m tired all day. It’s frustrating.”
“I see. You know sleeping pills are available to you. All you have to do is ask.”
“That’s okay.” Bria took several deep breaths and stared at her bandage. “I’m still picking at my scab. It opened back up two days ago.”
“I see,” Dr. Meriwether said knowingly, but without judgment. “And why do you think you keep picking at it?”
