AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I don’t remember the exact day. It was recently. But with everything else going on, it slipped my mind. I was gonna tell you.”
“How are they handling it?”
“I don’t know. I only know they hired a different lawyer.”
“Well, that’s probably a good idea.” He washed his food down with orange juice.
“Yeah.”
“And you said Iesha told you this?”
“Mm-hm.”
Marcus was quiet for a minute. It was the longest minute of Ladonna’s life. What could he possibly be thinking about? “Welp,” he said, “I hope everything works out.”
“Me too.”
He stood and walked his plate over to the sink, setting it at the bottom without rinsing it, which always drove Ladonna nuts. When he turned back around, he looked surprised to see she was still standing there. He gathered his things and said, “Bye, Lady.”
“Bye. Love you,” she called after him, but he was already out the door.
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
“Sowhatarewediscussing today, Ms. Bria?”
Dr. Meriwether’s office was nice and warm this time. Bria sat comfortably on the loveseat, shoes off, feet up with her knees underneath her chin. And she made a decision.
“I think I’m ready to talk about that night.”
Dr. Meriwether’s quick blink was the only giveaway that she was surprised. The woman knew how to keep her emotions at bay. “Whenever you’re ready.”
Bria breathed in for 5 seconds and out for 15 as Dr. Meriwether had taught her. “I’m not sure where to start.”
“Why don’t you start by telling me what you feel when you think about that night.”
“I feel scared. Hurt. Confused…ashamed…suspicious. That’s all I can think of right now.”
Dr. Meriwether was writing. “That’s okay. Now let’s run down your list and see if we can make sense of what you’re feeling. Now first we have fear. Do you think that’s an appropriate response to what you experienced?”
“I think so. In that moment when I saw her, I didn’t even think about it deep, you know? The first thing that popped into my head was ‘run!’ Like I was scared I’d be next.”
“And I agree with you. Fear absolutely is an appropriate response. It’s the most appropriate response, actually.”
Bria nodded. Somehow it made her feel better to know that. “So how long should I be scared? Because I still get scared every night. I’m still sleeping with the light on. I still can’t close my closet door. Ever. Is that appropriate?”
“Right now, yes. Eventually, we’ll work on some healthier, more long-term coping methods. But yes, it’s appropriate and it’s normative.”
“Okay, good.”
“When you say ‘hurt’ are you referencing physical pain, emotional pain, or both?”
“Emotional. I mean…she wasn’t my best friend or anything. Anymore. I honestly was still kinda mad at her. But I don’t know…it still hurts that she’s gone. She was part of my life and now she’s not.”
“Do you think that’s an appropriate emotion?”
“Yes.”
“Good. I agree with you. It’s okay to feel emotional. It’s even okay to feel guilty about whether or not you’re too emotional or not emotional enough. Is that something you’ve felt?”
