I'd been staring at the door for nearly five minutes, trying to decide what to do, so I figured I'd better either go for it, open up and go in, or just chicken out now and go home. The wind was howling down the alley, and I turned my back against it, shivered against the cold. The snow back here hadn't been plowed, and my feet were starting to freeze. I needed to decide soon whether to just do this.
I studied the door again. Plain black, ordinary looking metal industrial door, set in a large, abandoned looking concrete warehouse. The only thing remarkable about the door was a single word, stenciled in yellow, in small letters, just below eye level.
"CONFESSION"
A few more deep breaths. I blew on my hands. Were the rumors about this place true? Was it some sort of trap? I had no idea what to think. A part of me wanted to find out, but another part of me was terrified of what might be in there. I knew, though, that if I didn't go through with it now, while I'd finally worked up the courage to drive all the way out here, and come find this hidden door, that I probably never would. And that I'd probably wonder forever what might have been, and regret it. I twisted my hands together to keep warm, and to work up my nerve. Then I reached for the ice cold door knob, turned it, and pushed open the door.
I stepped inside, finding a small waiting area. Cinder block walls painted beige. To my left, an uncomfortable looking wooden bench, where two men sat. Both, for some reason, were barefoot. Directly in front of me, an enclosed desk area. Behind it sat a young woman staring at a computer screen. She had short blonde hair, wore earbuds along with a black Ramones t-shirt beneath a gray hoodie, and ignored me as I approached the desk. I waited. It felt good to be out of the freezing winter air, but it was still very cold, even in here. I waited a few more minutes. Still, the woman didn't acknowledge me. She was very pretty, in a punk sort of way. I wondered if I was supposed to make myself known, but I was sort of scared to ask. After another minute, I spoke.
"Um, excuse me, ma'am?"
She slowly turned her chair toward me. She fixed me with a look, sort of disdainful, then let her lips pop. Then she spoke.
"First time?"
"Yes ma'am."
"I can tell. Show some respect, perv. Take off your shoes and socks before you even THINK of speaking to me. And keep your hands locked behind your back while you talk. Show me you understand your place. Think you can do that?"
She spun back around to her computer. I felt my stomach lurch. If I was scared before, I was terrified now. I knelt down, untied my shoelaces, pulled off my shoes, then my socks, which were filled with nervous sweat. I stuffed them in my shoes. It felt strange being barefoot on the cold linoleum floor. Standing, I clasped my hands behind my back. Barefoot, at attention. Weird. This did feel humbling. I spoke, hesitantly.
"Ma'am?"
"Can I help you?"
"I - um." What to even say? "I'm here, um, for - for confession."
"Of course you are." She spun around to her computer. "Name."
"My name is Chris, ma'am."
She rolled her eyes at me. "Your FULL name, idiot."
My jaw dropped a little. "You need my full name?"
"Um - like yes? We need all your information. In the event that you confess anything illegal, we have to report you. But don't worry, most of the time, we never use it. Here, I'll make it easy. I'll be taking your wallet anyway. Just give it to me now, and I'll enter all your information for you."
"Um, yes, Ma'am?" She spoke as if I had no choice, so I just sort of blindly followed along, handing over my wallet.
She stood, handing me a very large bag. "While you're at it, let's just get everything that we need at initial check in. Go ahead and put your shoes and socks in here, and your coat, along with everything in your pockets. That's right - keys, cell phone. I'll turn it off, don't worry - everything. Then give it to me. Good. Then go right over there and wait on the bench until the priestess is ready to see you. NOW."
"Y - yes, ma'am. I felt my voice catch, just a little."
She turned back toward the computer, then looked at me, raising her eyebrows, as if to say 'go already,' so I went. I walked over to the bench, which had just barely enough room for me at the far end. I sat next to a young man, maybe a couple decades younger than me, in his early twenties. He wore jeans and a thin, stylish shirt that he had to be freezing in. And of course, he was barefoot. He looked worried. Every once in awhile he would close his eyes tight. Next to him was an older man, maybe fifty or so, in dress pants and a dress shirt, a tie. And barefoot like the two of us. He seemed calmer, but occasionally he would rub his hands together, or take a deep breath. Both of them were silent. It seemed like we were supposed to sit still and not talk, so that's what I did. We waited. And waited. And waited.