Passion in James County XV: Ben and Nancy
Ben encountered school psychologist Marya Thompson in the hallway the next morning when he walked into school.
"Have you got a couple of minutes, Marya?" he asked her.
"Sure," the psychologist said. "Is this something about one of your students?"
"Yes, Trish Wilkins," Ben said.
"Why don't you come down to my office and tell me about it?" Marya said.
Ben followed Marya down the hall and into her officer. She walked across the room, turned to face him, and leaned against her desk.
"Wow, for a psychologist, she's pretty damn good-looking!" Ben thought as he looked at the woman standing in front of him. The pretty psychologist's outfits were always dynamite and today's was no exception. A white cable-knit sweater and white ribbed skirt clung lovingly to her fine physique. She had a very attractive face, highlighted by bright blue eyes. Perhaps to make herself more serious, she wore dark-rimmed eyeglasses and had her blonde hair pulled back in a tight twist. He had always thought she exuded a kind of contained sexuality. "I wonder what she looks like when she lets her hair down?" he mused.
"What's going on with Trish?" Marya asked. "I have to say, I wasn't surprised when you told me she was the one you wanted to talk to me about. Trish is a very troubled young woman."
"Yeah, I know," Ben said. "Do I ever! Last night she got me alone in the newspaper room and propositioned me."
Marya shook her head. "I suppose I should be surprised to hear that," she said, "but I'm not. I believe she's been sexually active for quite a while, and she does have a tendency to get out of control. I guess it was only a matter of time before something like this happened. How did you respond to her proposition?"
"She caught me off-guard," Ben said. "I'm not sure I handled it as well as I could have. I..." He went on to give Marya a detailed explanation of the interaction he had with Trish the night before.
"I'd say you handled the situation about as well as you could have, under the circumstances," Marya said once Ben finished his tale. "I'd say that, given what I know of Trish - and that's quite a bit - you did it as gently and effectively as possible."
"But she seemed really upset," Ben said. "She ran out of the room crying."
"Trish has a very fragile ego," Marya explained, "despite the self-assured facade she puts on in public. What we're dealing with here is a scared little girl who is desperately seeking love and affection."
"I don't mind giving my students love and affection," Ben said, "but not the kind she was asking for."
"That's just it," Marya said, "Trish is very immature. I doubt very much that she's able to differentiate between love and sex. I suspect there may be some unreported sexual abuse involved here. She certainly exhibits some of the classic traits of a sexually abused female. Inability to differentiate between affection and sex is a critical sign of sexual abuse. She has no boundaries. To her, they're probably one and the same."
"So what happens now?" Ben asked.
"I'll call Trish in and talk with her," Marya said. "Hopefully, I'll be able to help her understand that what she did last night wasn't appropriate and, maybe, I'll be able to convince her to see me on a regular basis so we can work on some of the problems she has."
"That would be great," Ben said. "I sure as heck hope you can pull it off." Then something occurred to him. "We're putting the paper together this afternoon," he said. "What should I do if Trish shows up to help?"
"Make sure you're never alone with her," Marya said, "and treat her just like you would any other student."
"OK," Ben said. "Thanks for helping me with this, Marya."
Marya smiled at him. "It's my job," she said. "I'll let you know how my session with Trish went."
The rest of the school day passed uneventfully and, to Ben's relief, Trish didn't show up to help finish work on the newspaper. He was surprised he hadn't heard from Marya, though, and wondered how her session with Trish had gone.
He drove home, feeling spent. He was glad he didn't have any social plans for the evening. When he got home, he changed into a sweat-suit and sat down at his desk. He had papers to correct and lesson plans to work on. He'd just begun working when the phone rang. He picked it up. "Hello?" he said.
"Is this Ben Morris?" a female voice asked.
"Yes, it is," Ben replied.
"Hi, Ben, this is Marya Thompson," the caller said. "I wanted to let you know what happened in my session with Trish."
"I was wondering how it went," Ben replied. "I figured you got busy and would tell me in the morning."
"I was terribly busy today," Marya said. "In fact, I'm just leaving school now. If you don't mind, I could stop at your place on my way home and tell you what went on in my session with Trish."
"No problem," Ben said. "Do you know where I live?"
"Yes," Marya said. "I'll see you in about a half-hour."
"I'll put on some coffee," Ben said.
The doorbell sounded a half-hour after Marya called. Ben opened it.
"Hi," Marya said, smiling at him.
Ben thought he saw a hint of invitation in her smile and gaze, but quickly brushed the thought off. "Not everybody is hot for you! Don't be so damned arrogant!" he scolded himself. "Come in," he said, and stepped back so she could enter his apartment.
They went into his living room. Marya sat down on the sofa and Ben sat down in his recliner, facing her. Even though she was across the room, he realized he could smell the enticing scent of the perfume the attractive woman was wearing.
"So how did it go with Trish?" he asked.
"Actually, I think it went quite well, all things considered," Marya said. "At least she agreed to come back and see me again tomorrow."
