Mermaid Tales Sneak Peak - Sam

Mermaid Tales Sneak Peak - Sam
I can shake off everything as I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn. - Anne Frank

When Connie joined the Family Advocacy Center, commonly referred to as the F A C, she had been given a large open space and was told to make it how she wanted her office to be. Bunny, one of the other therapists with the F A C, had a large open office with different areas for meeting with patients. The third therapist, Olivia, had her office split into three offices differentiating where she met with children and adults along with a separate space just for her. And her two pet tarantulas, Charlotte and Wilbur.

Connie split the two ideas and had a large open space for her patients and a small sanctuary for herself. She hung up her desk phone in her small office and stood up. Today she was meeting with the foster daughter of Bunny’s sister-in-law. Bunny saw more of the children that the F A C treated. However, propriety and the appearance of conflict of interest dictated that Sam be seen by another therapist.

Olivia had been with the F A C longer and saw not only Sam’s foster mother, Jolene, but her brother, JD, his wife and their partner. Olivia was the one to recommend that Connie see Sam because she would be a little gentler. Captain Olivia Dawson, US Army Reserves, saw veterans and their surviving family members. She could be crass and a little rough around the edges.

Sam had been sheltered and over protected by her parents, especially her father. The teenager was smart but immature for her age and naïve. With the way that she knew so little about her body, it would also be safe to describe her as ignorant.

Pausing at the mirror hanging on the wall by the door leading out of her private office into her therapy room, she checked her hair and touched up her lipstick. At fifty, she should be thinking about preparing for retirement, not starting over at a new facility in a city and state. Yet here she was, meeting her first patient who was not already established.

Throwing caution to the wind, she had done something she had wanted to do for years. Her gray hair now had a purple tint to it that made her green eyes pop. A small scar at her hairline proved that she had made the correct decision in stepping in between her young patient and his abuser.

Light coming through the two walls of windows contrasted with the dark gray walls. She used this light to check her blue and purple paisley print skirt and light-weight black sweater. Assured that everything looked as it should and there were no stray fuzzies, she stepped out and crossed to her door leading out into the hallway.

It was the policy of the F A C that patients were escorted anytime that they went beyond the waiting area. Connie took the elevator down to the first floor and walked over to the secured waiting room D. For privacy, the waiting room had recently been updated creating small individual waiting rooms. Patients would enter on one side, and the therapist would get them from a hallway on the other side.

Using her key card, she disengaged the lock and knocked on the door before opening it and looking inside. She was thankful for the warning that Bunny and Olivia gave on Jolenes’ appearance. The young woman did indeed look like a sophisticated, grown-up Wednesday Addams.

The little girl that was holding onto her mother’s chair was dressed in a black A-line dress with a white skeleton hand holding a red rose. She gave Connie a big grin and Jolene reached over to wipe off some drool. Shaking her head, the toddler pushed the hand away and reached for Sam. Smiling, the teen picked her up and hugged her before placing her in her mother’s lap.

“Aren’t you a little cutie?” Connie asked and was rewarded with another smile and a high-pitched squeal. “Well, since you put it that way, let me tell you what’s going to happen.” Although she was speaking to the two adults and the teenager in the room, she looked at the toddler.

“The first few appointments will be with Sam only, when she feels comfortable, we’ll move to family meetings. Most of the meetings will remain one on one, if there is something that I think needs to be addressed before the next appointment, I or another staff member will come and get you. If there are topics that I think need to be addressed at home, I will let you know. I will be giving Sam a journal, I ask that you respect her privacy and do not read unless she asks that you read something.”

Jolene and Neo both nodded in understanding. Connie smiled at each of them and then held out a hand to help Sam stand up. Once she was sure that the girl was steady on her feet, she released her hand.

“We’ll be back down in a little bit, and we’ll go through what the next steps will be.” Connie walked her new patient to the elevator and tried to engage her in small talk. Sam was so nervous that she was unable to hold even a simple conversation about the weather.

Pressing her key card against the silver square with the F A C logo, and much to Sam’s amazement, the doors slid open. Connie chuckled as the teen’s eyes widened and she gave a small “Wow.” Blushing, she looked at the therapist.

“I had the same reaction,” Connie admitted with a smile. “I’ve worked at several facilities, even volunteered at a couple of jails, none of them were this fancy.”

The doors slid open on the second floor, and she motioned for Sam to go out first. “To the left and the next to last door on the right.”

“Do you have to unlock this door too?” Sam asked as she stopped at the door.

“I do,” Connie pressed her key card against the silver square next to her door and there was a soft click as the lock disengaged.

Once inside, Sam looked around the large room with a full wall of floor to ceiling windows. The wall opposite her office had bookshelves just as tall as the windows with a rolling ladder. Next to the tall shelves were some smaller shelves with an assortment of journals, workbooks and sketchpads.

“Alright, I need you to pick a journal and a sketchpad, if you like to draw.” She grabbed the right workbook and opened the cabinet between the shorter shelves and a set of drawers. “You also get to pick a backpack, and over here in the drawers, you can pick some pencils, pens, highlighters, tabs, stickers, I love my stickers, colored pencils and lord only knows what else is in these. I was told to make a list and my daughters helped and everything on the list was bought. Sorry you missed out on the Swiss Rolls; we already ate those.”

Sam chuckled, “They bought you Swiss Rolls?”

“They did.”