Splinters: Part One

Part One | 7

Chapter 7

Truth and Lies

I stared at the sign just above the front desk that read: Dr. Hamelon's Family-Therapy. There was a smiley face after the word 'therapy' that, ironically, didn't make me feel any better. I stared at the sign for a moment, trying to muster up the courage to go inside. No matter how much I didn't want to do this, I was already in too deep. 

Melissa and I sat on a leather brown sofa, waiting. I've never experienced therapy, but sometimes, the nuns would have priests come into the orphanage and try to talk with us. The nuns would say we need to take out our "splinters." They'd say that sometimes we have little things inside of us that hurt, and if we talked about, they'd push themselves out. It was meant to comfort us, but I remember a time when Jo and I agreed that our splinters are probably in too deep to come out. 

It wasn't that I never tried talking about my life. I just never really wanted to. I didn't think it would work. 

But now... Now I'd have to, with someone I barely even know. I was a little embarrassed honestly. I didn't want Melissa to think of me as "broken," and lately, that's all I've really felt from her. 

"This is going to be good for you, Brayden." Melissa said quietly, patting my knee gently.

I inhaled slowly, not trusting my voice to answer.

I wondered what they'd ask. Would I have to tell them what kind of life my dad lived? About the things my mom used to say? What about all the beer, or the guys with the dog? Would I have to revisit my grandma's death? Would I have to tell him about my life at St. Anne's and then tell him about J and Jake and Josephine? All of it was baggage, but I didn't want to relive it.

I don't know how much time had passed, but at some point, my time had come and someone called my name from a door that led to a hall.

I expected Dr. Hamelon to be a man, but she was a woman with dark brown hair with grey streaks and appeared to look a bit older. She smiled happily at me and then gestured Melissa and I to sit on a sofa across from her.

"Hi, Brayden." Dr. Hamelon greeted, getting up and shaking my hand.

"Hi." I returned quietly.

She then turned to Melissa. "Melissa?"

Melissa nodded. 

"I'm Dr. Hamelon. It's nice to meet you both."

"Likewise."

Dr. Hamelon sat back down, shifting for a moment, and then made eye contact with me.

"Welcome," she breathed. "This is just a get-to-know each other session. Nothing too heavy. Let's start with the basics. Brayden, how old are you?"

"Um... I'm almost sixteen."

She nodded, writing something down on her little board.

"Well that's great. From what I know, you were recently adopted?"

"Not quite" Melissa replied. "We've begun the process, but we're hoping to have him legally-"

"I understand," Dr. Hamelon interjected, giving Melissa a fake tight grin. She wrote something else down and then sighed, looking back up at us. "If you don't mind, Melissa, I'd like to speak with Brayden alone?"

Melissa was very hesitant. She looked at me, almost asking for my approval to leave in which I nodded slowly. Without a word, she got up and left. When the door clicked shut, Dr. Hamelon scooted closer to me on her swivel chair. She set down her little board and faced me.