Page 28 of Burned By Fire

Idon’t hesitate when opening the door to Jackie’s office. Instead, I go straight in and sit down on the couch.

“Afternoon, Jackie,” I say. We’ve had a few sessions together now, and I’m feeling comfortable in her presence.

“Good afternoon to you too. You seem happier today. Would you like to tell me what you’ve been doing since the last time I saw you?” she asks. The ballpoint pen is already poised in her hand.

“I am. Things are finally looking up. I’ve been sober for almost three weeks, and I may have found a job.” I lean back and rest my foot on my other knee.

“And what about my niece? I’ve seen you together a lot lately.” She makes a note on her paper.

“I care about her a lot. She’s very special.” The words aren’t strong enough to describe how I feel about Ember. She’s quickly becoming the person I want to do everything with.

“This is all sounding very positive. Is there anything you want to discuss in this session?” She scribbles on her notepad.

“My life is finally coming together.”

“Do you think coming to therapy has been helpful?”

“Yes. The first time we met, you got under my skin, but running away wasn’t the answer. I need to face my demons and stop feeling sorry for myself.”

She writes another note. “This is all great.” I wait for her to finish and then she looks at me. “Would you like to continue our sessions? We could review your progress in a few weeks. If you feel things are moving in the right direction, you’ll no longer need me, but I’ll be here if you do.”

“Then you can just be the aunt of the woman I want to date.”

“Oh, don’t you worry, I’ll be making sure you look after my niece.” She grins.

“Excellent. But in all seriousness, I think I’ll be ready to end our sessions soon.” I have Ember if I want to talk, and soon, a group of men in a similar situation to me too.

“You can always book an hour with me if you want to, even if you haven’t seen me for a couple of weeks or months.”

“That’s good to know.” I smile.

We talk through my week, discussing the highs and lows. I’m as open as I can be and it’s good to get things off my chest.

She checks the clock. “That’s our time up. Will I see you next week?”

“This is the quickest hour of my day. It was nice chatting with you. Our sessions have been useful, but I’m ready to handle things now.”

“Good luck, Sol.” We stand and she shakes my hand.

“Thanks, Jackie.”

I leave the office feeling pretty damn good about myself. I didn’t avoid the difficult questions, and I feel more like the guy I was before everything unraveled.

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