Page 48 of The Last Session

“What’s your name?” Sol asked.

“Mikki.”

“So, Mikki.” He plopped into his chair, one arm on the back. “Why are you here?”

“You want me to say it in front of everyone?”

“It’s all going to come out this weekend.” He lifted a hand. “You’re just getting a head start.”

“Fine.” She sat back in her chair and crossed her arms. “I’m here because I’m a sex and love addict.”

“Great!” Sol looked thrilled. “You have a defined problem. You’re ahead of the game.”

“Wonderful.” Mikki continued to smile, but her eyes were watchful.

“And what made you comehere?” Sol asked. “There are programs, treatment centers, groups, what have you, all over the place.”

“My therapist recommended it.” Mikki shrugged. “And I needed a vacation.”

Karen snorted. Dawne looked horrified.

Sol leaned forward. “Oh, Mikki, no. No, no, no. This is the exactoppositeof a vacation. This is boot camp. This is going to be one of the most difficult weekends of your entire life—if notthemost difficult. Everyone’s going to fall apart here. Everyone. And you know what? It’s going to be fucking great.”

Mikki studied Sol.

“How’s that to hear?” Sol asked. “You can tell me to fuck off, if you’d like. No wrong answers.”

“No.” She looked thoughtful. “I have no problem falling apart. But I don’t know about the boot camp analogy. I’m not one to take orders.”

“And you don’t have to. There’s only one rule here, and that’s to be invested.” Sol smacked the table lightly. “If you treat this as something foolish, then you’re going to waste your—and my—time. But I don’t think you’ll do that, Mikki. I think you actually want to be here. There’s just a part of you that’s suspicious. And tonight, fine, you can feel ambivalent. But don’t let it take over the whole weekend. Promise me you’ll try. Okay?”

After a second, she nodded. Sol leaned back, satisfied.

“Mikki has a good point, though,” he said. “You must all be fucking starving.”

We laughed.

“So I’ll shut up in a moment,” he went on. “But the last thing I’ll say is that your being here is important. Figuring out your romantic issues will actually help you withallof your relationships. Our society pushes this obsession with finding ‘the one,’ but we want to expand your view. We want you to find intimacy in all of its forms, including what I consider one of the most important: community.” He gestured around the table. “Okay, I’ll stop. Any last urgent questions?”

“I have one.” Karen cleared her throat. “Is Moon coming?”

Sol stared at her without speaking. The silence stretched.

“She’s not feeling well tonight.” His smile returned. “But she’s a fighter. I’m sure she’ll be back to her old self by tomorrow. Now, let’s eat.”

Grace and Steven came out of the kitchen, carrying platters piled high: tart chicken masala, rich vegetable biryani, gingery palak paneer, crispy samosas, fresh garlic naan. I was surprised they served meat, butit was probably free-range, organic, etc. The dining hall filled with boisterous voices and laughter. Everyone apparently felt chatty after Sol’s introduction. I was relieved I’d managed to escape his initial questioning. I accidentally caught eyes with Jonah across the table and wondered if he felt the same way.

I watched Sol, who was talking animatedly with Dawne and Karen. If he did know anything about Catherine, I had the sense it wasn’t going to be easy to find out.

“Let the games begin,” Mikki murmured as she paused to sip her water. She gazed at me. “You ready for this?”

“I guess we’ll see.” I looked again at Sol, and suddenly the vague familiarity clicked into place. I knew exactly who he reminded me of.

It was his looks, but also his energy: calm, paternal, charismatic, a little challenging.

He reminded me of Pastor John.

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