AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 11
Faye
“Thanks, Jan,” I tell my mother-in-law as I leave the house and head to therapy.
“Of course, dear, we’ll see you soon.”
Heading out, the sun is warm this morning. As I drive away from my house, I grab my coffee, and I’m reminded of the first time I met Thane. Who knew a trip to the local Starbucks could turn into what it has?
The drive is short, and as I pull into the parking lot, I’m not dreading my appointment, like I usually do.
“Morning,” I tell my psychologist’s receptionist, and she says, “Morning, you can go right in.”
“Thanks.” I knock, and Dr. Brinkman looks up at me from her mahogany desk.
“Hi, Faye, please come in.”
Gently I shut the door and take my coat off, then sit on one of the open chairs. “How are you doing today?” she asks me.
“I’m okay.”
She gets up and sits across from me; her brown eyes are interested—studying me. “You look good, Faye.”
“Thank you.”
“Is there a reason?” she asks.
“Not really,” I tell her, not knowing if I should talk to her about Thane.
She looks down at her notes and then says to me, “Faye, I’ve been seeing you for a year now. During that time, I’ve watched you struggle to accept the reality that Ben is really gone, grieve and blame yourself, adjust to life the best you could without him, but as I sit across from you today, something has changed. What is it?”
Hearing her say all these things takes me back to all the sessions we’ve been through. I have struggled and grieved and blamed myself and questioned it all. This past year has been dire. Then the pain all seemed to lessen the moment I met Thane. He’s really been a breath of fresh air.
“I met someone,” I confess. “A friend of sorts.”
“Does this friend have a name?” she asks me.
“Thane.”
“How did you two meet?”
“He bought me a cup of coffee when I forgot my wallet once.”
“And he was a complete stranger?”
“Yeah, and since he’s become a friend,” I tell her.
“How do you feel when you’re around him?” Her question makes me feel obliged to tell her about the push I feel from Ben. Maybe she can help me make sense of it.
“I feel like Ben is around me more when Thane’s around. Also, I don’t think about the pain as often. He’s easy to be around, he makes me laugh, and our conversation is easy.”
“Does Thane know about all this?” she asks me.
“Most of it, yeah.”
“And what was his reaction?”
“That maybe Ben brought us together.”
