Jefferson was getting ready for his next appointment when there was a loud knocking at the door. He looked back and was confused because that kind of knocking was not something he was used to. Jefferson hadn’t informed his secretary that he was ready to see his next client, which is what he would do by hitting a button on his desk that would send a flashing signal to the secretary’s phone. He was about to pick up the phone to call the front desk when there was another loud knocking at the door, this time accompanied by a loud shouting coming from the person that was doing the knocking.
“I need to speak with you!” the voice rang out.
Since it wasn’t the voice of his secretary, Jefferson picked up his phone and dialed the desk outside.
“Who is that knocking on my door?” Jefferson asked.
“It’s the mother of your next client,” the secretary answered, “She is here with the child and is demanding to speak with you. She doesn’t appear to be pleased with us.”
“You think?” Jefferson said, as the woman’s anger was evident.
“What should I do?” the secretary asked.
“Let her in,” Jefferson said, eager to take care of the situation.
“Are you sure, Doctor?” The secretary asked.
“I am,” Jefferson confirmed, “Show her in.”
Jefferson walked over to the door and opened it, and on the other side was a middle-aged woman, mid-forties, but he could tell by the color of her hair and some of her features whose mother she was. That was easily confirmed as Jefferson looked into the reception to see Savannah sitting down and looking back up at him with fear in her eyes.
“Give us a moment,” Jefferson said to the young girl.
Once the woman had stormed into his office, Jefferson closed the door and turned to face the angry lady.
“Can I help you, Ma’am?” he calmly asked her.
“I want to know what she said!” the woman said, almost growling. “She refuses to tell me what you talked about last week!”
“She’s not required to talk about it,” Jefferson said.
“Why not?” the woman called out, “I’m her mother! I need to know what’s going on in here and what she’s saying!”
“No, you don’t.” Jefferson said, as he took a step closer. “She is allowed to retain her privacy, and I am actually not allowed by law to tell anyone what she says in here. The only time I can legally reveal anything that is said to me is if I believe there’s a chance my patient may harm others, or themself. Since I have not seen or heard anything of the sort, what was said in her remains private until she herself decides to tell you.”
“That’s not fair!” her mother cried, “I need to know what’s being said!”
“No, you don’t.” Jefferson corrected her. “The only thing you need to know is that we’re talking. To tell you anything more would cause my client to lose trust in me, and that could derail the progress we’ve made thus far. I won’t stand for this interference, and do not approve of this outrageous behavior.”
“I pay for these sessions!” her mother protested.
“No, the state does.” Jefferson again corrected her, “You are not my boss, and you never were. The courts mandated this therapy, and I answer only to the judge. I can also assure you that I will be calling his honor immediately if you do not vacate this room and allow your daughter to start her session on time!”
“Excuse me?” she asked, shocked to hear him talk to her like that.
“As a matter of fact, that’s exactly what I’m doing,” Jefferson said, as he took a few steps back and opened the door leading to reception. “You are excused, Ma’am. Vacate the room or I will have you removed.”
The mother stood there, her bottom lip quivering as she was unable to respond as the points he was making were difficult to counter. She deeply sighed and then stormed out of the room. She didn’t take a seat and instead walked right through reception and out the door. Jefferson stuck his head out of the door again and looked over at Savannah.
“You can come in now,” he called out to her.
Savannah didn’t say anything, but instead grabbed her bag and quickly scooted into the room before her mother could see her do it. Once she was inside the room, Jefferson closed the door behind her and even went out of his way to secure the padlock that he only used when the day is over, or whenever he feels the need for extra security.
“I’m sorry about that,” Savannah finally said, as she sat down.
“You have nothing to apologize for,” Jefferson said, as he strolled over and sat down in his chair. “I’d like to say this is not normal, but it happens more often than I’d like to admit.”
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
“It does?” Savannah asked, somewhat surprised.
“It does,” Jefferson confirmed, “People who are used to being in control often get upset and lose their temper when that control is slowly taken away. I expected to see some sort of response, just not so vocal or this soon.”
“That’s what she does,” Savannah said, “She gets upset and screams at the person she feels is responsible for it.”
“Does she yell at you?” Jefferson inquired.
“Sometimes,” Savannah answered, “But not in the way you’re thinking. When she gets frustrated she sometimes snaps at anyone, even those who are not responsible. Right now, she’s upset that I won’t talk about what happens here, but it’s none of her bee’s wax.”
“It’s not,” Jefferson confirmed, “You don’t have to talk about it with anyone else unless you are comfortable doing so. This is supposed to be your sanctuary, Savannah. How can I expect you to open up and talk to me if you fear that I might run off and tell other people what you said?”
“You won’t do that will you?” the young girl asked.
“No,” Jefferson assured her, “I am not permitted to say a word to anyone unless I feel you pose a risk to harm others, or even yourself. As long as you’re not a danger to anyone, I am not telling anyone what we discuss in here. The judge who ordered this treatment might ask for reports, but I can give summaries about your progress without sensitive details.”
“She’s not used to someone standing up to her like that,” Savannah confessed, “She doesn’t like it when people refuse to do as she says.”
“Well, I don’t care.” Jefferson confessed, “She is not my boss, and I am not bound to tell her a damn thing, or even the courts for that matter unless a judge presses me for it. Even then I can be subtle and discrete when giving my findings.”
“Fair enough,” Savannah said, as she seemed pleased by his answers.
“You’re afraid of her,” Jefferson observed, “Of what she might do or say if she knew the truth about you.”
“Yes,” Savannah agreed, “I keep a lot of secrets from her, and she doesn’t like that. Not one bit.”
“But they’re your secrets,” Jefferson reminded her, “They are yours and yours alone. When and who you share them with, if you ever do, should be up to you alone. I’m sorry if your mother feels the need to pry, I suppose she’s just worried and wants to know how things are going in her own nosy way.”
“So, you think she’s just worried?” Savannah asked.
“I know she’s worried,” Jefferson confirmed for her. “I’m a parent myself, so I have an inkling of an idea of what kind of stress and paranoia she’s experiencing right now.”
“What kind of pain?” Savannah asked, surprised to hear that.
“All of your pains,” Jefferson explained to her. “Every time you scrape a knee, get a cold, or shed a single tear, most of us feel that right down to our bones. Many of us may not show it, but we all have our moments. Some of us do our best to remain cool, but every now and then we’ll panic about something and run around like a chicken with its head cut off.”
“Even you?” Savannah asked.
“Even me,” Jefferson confessed, “When my son broke his leg during a soccer match, I was a mess waiting in that hospital waiting room. I was fearing and panicking almost as much as your mother was here moments ago. Parents often feel that way about their children, and one day you’ll feel that way when you have yours. Fear is a very strong thing that can often brings out the worst of us all.”
“She yells at me so often,” Savannah continued, “I think she hates me.”
“I don’t think that’s true,” Jefferson replied, “It’s not hate that causes her to get so emotional. It’s the love she feels for you that sometimes makes her act a complete loon. That in no way excuses her behavior as she needs to learn to keep those emotions in check and not interfere with your therapy.”
“She doesn’t understand me,” Savannah quickly declared.
“And that is where the fear comes from,” Jefferson added, “The fear of the unknown is what petrifies some people the most. That lack of control and power over what is going to happen in your life, or your family’s life can upset even the calmest person. Many parents want to control everything, even though total control is often impossible to achieve. They’ll still try out of some need, or even obsession, to guard and protect their offspring from all that’s out there.”
“I don’t think that’s even possible,” Savannah concluded.
“It’s not,” Jefferson agreed, “There is not a single parent out there that is or ever was in full control of what goes on with their children. We all want that control, but in the end no one on this planet is capable of doing it. No matter how angry and loud we get, it doesn’t matter. Every single parent on this planet is doomed to ride the same ship and be oblivious to its eventual port.”
“That sounds rather helpless.” Savannah observed.
“It can be, and that’s where the anger comes from,” Jefferson said, as he sat back and sighed. “It’s quite humbling to admit that we can’t do it all. We can try our best, but we have to eventually surrender to the fact that life does whatever it damn well pleases.”
“That’s pretty deep,” Savannah confessed.
“I have my moments,” Jefferson said, smiling back at her. “I’ve also had my moments like your mother just displayed earlier. Despite how hard we try to control ourselves, sometimes we just lose our temper. Moments when we’re willing to go to fisticuffs to defend what we feel is right and noble. At least that’s what we believed at the time. In retrospect, I was an idiot.”
“We all have our moments,” Savannah said, “I’m sure even I will have a few when I get old.”
“Getting old isn’t a punishment,” Jefferson added, “It’s reward. Surviving is a tough game that not everyone can complete. There are thousands of people around the world who sometimes don’t even make it to half our age. Life is something that is meant to be cherished, rather than mocked.”
“I don’t want to die,” Savannah suddenly said, “I want to get old.”
“It pleases me to hear that,” Jefferson said, “Especially considering why the court ordered you be here.”
“I’m sorry about that,” Savannah said, as if it was an automatic reflex.
“I believe you,” Jefferson replied, “But one day, you need to say those words to the person who matters the most.”
“My mother?” the young girl guessed.
“No,” Jefferson rebutted, even though it was a fair guess. “The person who deserves to hear your apology is the person you see in the mirror. That is the one person who would have suffered the most if things turned out differently that day.”
“I don’t know if I’m ready to talk about that,” Savannah said, feeling the bandages on her arms as there was a lot of white gauze wrapped around her wrists and half of her forearms.
“We’ll talk about it when you are ready,” Jefferson said, “And not a moment sooner, okay?”
“Okay,” Savannah replied, “Thanks for not pushing.”
“It’s too soon to push,” Jefferson said, “But one day I will, but I’m not ready to do that either. So let’s talk more about things you might be comfortable with, such as what’s going on with school…”