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“Review your past experiences.” “What?” Sharon asked in a defiant tone. The doctor stared straight at her over the top of his bifocals. Sharon concluded he was in his thirties and from what she could tell he was not married. A bachelor who was acting like a father figure for her. Sharon did not want to be there but she had to go. Her mother forced her to after the fifth time she was called to come pick her daughter up at school because Sharon was having a little problem with her peers. Sharon was only fourteen years old and in the 8th grade. So due to her problems in school, Sharon’s mother took the assistant principle’s advice and dragged Sharon to see a shrink. The assistant principle thought that Sharon had some very complexities going on inside her due to not having a stable life at home.
Of course her mother took the advice because she did not have time to sit down and have a heart to heart with her daughter. She was way far to busy with work, being a single mother and trying to find a man for herself. Not to mention all the late nights her mother spends partying. Sharon did not care, that just meant she would have the small apartment to herself. More privacy and the ability to go out when she felt like it while coming home when she felt like it.
But since her mother was single and had been ever since the pregnancy, Sharon was on her own taking care of herself. Her father had ran off the second he found out Samantha was with child. They were to be married in the fall. That was 9 months away and he could not bear having a wife and child. He wanted a wife but they both had agreed to never have children. Ha! Sharon laughed at the idea that she was a mistake and not even wanted by her very own over possessive, over neurotic parent. She knew that she was not wanted but she also became her mother’s sole pride and joy in life since family and friends abandoned her during the pregnancy. Sharon did have grandparents who sent money to her specifically every once and a while but they sure kept distance.
It was a strange family, they did not want to punish her for being the mistake of her mother’s life but yet they held her responsible for ruining it. Her mother had broken a code in the family and they shunned her for it. Sex outside of marriage was not only a sin in the family but it was also not allowed or tolerated for some reason. Samantha told Sharon the reason why it was not allowed because the family thought it kept the generations pure. It was like when people marry the same cultured person as them. It was ridiculous in this day and age but the proof was all there just the same for Sharon.

“So, Sharon, Why do you think you have been brought here today?” He was prodding her mind, trying to pick it apart.
“I dunno,” she replied nonchalant.
“What sort of problems would you like to discuss? Remember this is a safe environment. We are in confidence.”
“Right. Are you not supposed to discuss what we discover with my mother. How is that a secret?”
“That is not the point here. The point is for you to express yourself so I can help your mother help you.”
“My mother does not want to help me. She wants to destroy me. Can I go now?”
“Why does your mother want to destroy you? And no, we have a half hour left.”
“She is my mother. Ask her yourself. How am I supposed to know what her mind thinks. Isn’t that your job? To figure out how a person’s mind operates. Pick it apart like scavengers pick dead animals’ bones apart?”
“Not quite. My job is to help others help themselves. And I am trying to help you. So, let’s talk.”
“So, you are a self help book only more expensive and a waste of time. My time.”
“ Why do you feel that way? Do not fear opening up to me. I am going to be your comforter.”
“I don’t feel that, its my opinion. Am I not allowed to have an opinion without speaking my mind? I don’t need comfort.”
“Opinions usually have some form of logic behind them. What is yours?”
“quit trying to trick me, it ain’t gonna work.”
“ I am not trying to trick you. I am just trying to hold a simple everyday conversation with you.”
“Oh! Small talk. I gotcha.” and I winked my eye at him. He just stared at me in silence, stunned. He was more or less trying to figure out what I was getting at. After a few minutes he started his bantering again, trying to get me to talk about some sort of issue I had that I needed to figure out. After about twenty minutes he looked at his watch and spoke, “Well, I am sorry but we are out of time. I think we made some progress today. I hope to see you again soon.” I just sat there and nodded politely. Then I got up and left knowing that I would never have to return to that place again. How did I know this? Well its about 150 a session per week. And there are about 52 weeks in a year, multiply that. The number comes out to being about 7,800 dollars. That is enough to cover a semester in college. Which means my mother cannot afford these sessions. So, I will never have to set foot in that office. I was scot-free. When I got home, my mother was there. I almost took a double take. Why was she home? What day was it?