Meg’s Transformation Scene 21

Megan examined it curiously for a moment and opted to give her a call. It couldn’t hurt and she needed some answers. A receptionist politely asked her to hold and then informed her that the counselor had been expecting her call. Megan asked if she could come in around noon. The receptionist told her noon was fine. The call was quick, painless and gave her hope.
At five minutes after noon, Megan found herself sitting in the counselor’s office. It wasn’t a typical office nor was it what she expected a psychiatrist’s office to look like. There was a couch, but there were also chairs and a table. There were lots of books and paintings on the wall. The carpeting was thick and the room bright even with the shades drawn closed.
The counselor herself also defied Megan’s expectations. Helen Schreiber was about 50 with gray hair tucked in a neat bun. She wore large, horn-rimmed glasses and an unpretentious pleated skirt. Megan thought she looked more like a librarian than a psychiatrist.
“Megan. Welcome,” she greeted warmly.
Megan hesitantly sat down in one of the chairs and sighed. She was still very uneasy about being there. She was the last person she ever excited to need any form of therapy or counseling.
“It’s OK,” Helen assured her. “I don’t bite.”
Megan nodded. She’d heard that one before.
“Why don’t you tell me a bit about yourself?”
“Um…. I’m 19. I go to college. I work at a pharmacy. You talked to my parents, so you obviously know what’s up. That’s about it.”
“Well then…. I’ll tell you a bit about myself. I have a master’s in psychology and another in education. I taught first grade for many years, as well as a few classes on the college level and almost all areas in between. I’ve been doing counseling for about five years.”
“Great,” Megan remarked cynically. “Good for you.”
Helen smiled humbly. “I’ve had my moments.”
“So how does this work?” Megan asked.
“Essentially, you talk and I listen.”
“That’s it?”
“Yes, dear. I may ask you a few questions along the way to help get you going, but otherwise the time is yours.”
“And that really works?”
“Mmm…hmm. Everything said here is kept in strict confidentiality, of course.”
“Of course,” Megan echoed. Despite her doubts, she was starting to like this woman’s approach.
“Is there anything you’d like to begin with?”
“Well…um…OK,” Megan started. “There’s this guy….”
She went on to give a comprehensive history of her relationship with Ted, up to and including the present. There were a few rough spots that nearly brought her to tears, but she kept herself composed and made it through it all.
“…And every time someone even mentions him, I get all defensive. I’ve been acting very bitchy lately. But I don’t think it’s just that. Is it?”
Helen shrugged. “Why don’t you tell me?”
“Well…” she began, and then stopped. Talking to Dr. Hardy about her bedwetting was one thing. She had known him her own life. Telling this complete stranger was something else entirely. Sure, it was possible that her parents already mentioned it. But that didn’t mean she had to. “I’ve been…um…”
“It’s OK. Go ahead. No one is judging here.”
“…Sort of wetting the bed lately,” Megan concluded. “Dr. Hardy says it might have been stress and I wasn’t getting enough sleep, but I’ve been getting a lot of sleep lately and it’s still happening. I don’t get it.”