This morning in the head-lady’s office, a young guy walked in with a dunkin donuts coffee, he smelled like expensive generic cologne and looked like he walked out of a ralph lauren ad with the white sailor shoes and the cream-colored wind breaker. He seemed too happy to be seeing a therapist and he wondered out loud if he had the wrong appointment because I was sitting there too. There are two therapists in this office, I told him, not that I had ever seen the other one until earlier that morning, but I wondered if he was new or how he didn’t notice the two doors to two separate offices in the hallway or two names on the door.

“So how’s it going?” he asked.

“Um…pretty good.” Life is candy and rainbows, thanks for asking.

“Yeah, I can’t complain.”

Then what are you doing here?  I didn’t actually say that, naturally, I just watched him pick up a Travel Golf magazine, take a sip of coffee and stand up to greet his therapist like an old friend when his name was called. Clearly he’d been here before. What number personality was that?


Comments

2 responses to “Waiting room”

  1. Lindsey Avatar
    Lindsey

    Man, I wish I would have ran into him when I was in her office. All I ever saw were visibly broken men and women and anxious parents carting around wild youths. Just goes to show that you can NEVER tell what a person is feeling based on how they look on the outside. I bet people think the same thing about you and I when we walk into that office. We look A-Ok on the outside. Peaches and cream, skittles and rainbows, indeed.

    1. rachvb Avatar
      rachvb

      It was strange. Not really a place I want to have small-talk. I was rather enjoying the soft humming noises from the air in the ceiling. Sometimes you can’t tell. And then sometimes you can. I think sometimes we wear it on our faces, in our bodies. How can we not? I think lately I’ve looked exhausted, but that’s because I feel exhausted. Maybe he has good medication? Maybe he was having a good day? Maybe he was the guy’s nephew?
      In the end we’re all the same sorts of people. Human brains with human hearts and human problems.

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