AUTHORS NOTE: So, this is a story I wrote eons ago, first chapter edited by T_G_B, (thanks so much btw!) and have lost my direction on it. And my hope with this story is that you all will help me find my way with this one cause it's actually one of my very first stories ever written. One I'd love to finish! So, here's the deal, umma post the first chapter here, if it gets a good reception, I'll post the other couple chapters I have written. anywho, read, comment, vote!
C8ER2U
Even as she sat in her car clutching the steering wheel, knuckles straining under her skin, willing herself to get out of the vehicle, her mind kept running back to her previous encounter with him.
'Get out of the fucking car Mel,' she told herself.
Herself didn't move. She was late, and she was NEVER late. This was so unlike her ; the dependable, reliable person she was, but, then a lot of things lately were so unlike her. She looked up and caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror.
"Shit," she said out loud, and then thought to herself, that's exactly what she looked like.
"Mrs. Mayor? Is that you? I thought so!"
Her thoughts were interrupted by the portly receptionist walking up to her car. This lady, however sweet she tried to be was still annoying as all hell.
"Mrs. Mayor! We were waiting for you; we thought you were going to miss your appointment again. I think Tara can still squeeze you in!"
She was tapping on the window as she spoke, as if she couldn't be heard though it.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to keep Tara waiting, I'll be in in a moment, I've just got to grab something from my car."
All of which was said without looking at the woman. Mel knew this was rude, especially given the age of the lady on the other side of her window, but she just hadn't been herself in a while.
"Okay... well, we'll see you inside then..."
Mel watched out of the corner of her eye as the woman walked slowly back into the office, then closed her eyes. She took a deep exaggerated breath in though her nose and expelled it though her mouth. She repeated this until she felt her hands weakening their death grip on the steering wheel. Finally they slid off the wheel and she made her way out of the car. Grabbing her purse she hurriedly walked into the building.
"I'm so sorry I'm late, traffic was treacherous! Is Tara with someone now?"
"Yes, I'm afraid she is. But she can see you after. Just have a seat, it shouldn't be much longer," she said with a smile.
Mel started making her way to the chairs when the door to Tara's office opened and she emerged with a smile, a middle aged man came out behind her, holding his hat to his chest as if it were the only thing keeping his heart inside.
"Don't forget to make an appointment for next week with Jeril; I really think we're making good progress."
He smiled weakly and walked to the receptions desk. Mel realized she was staring at the man and looked away.
"Melanie? I was afraid you weren't going to make it! Come on in!"
Tara waved her in, and Mel followed her into the office. The office itself wasn't very large but comfortable and included the standard therapist accessories; the bare- your-soul couch, the box of Kleenex, the framed degrees and diplomas on the wall, fake foliage on either side of the desk, but despite all of this, there was something in the therapist's eyes that made Mel comfortable.
"How are you, Melanie?" Tara asked, sitting down in the chair opposite the couch Mel was only considering sitting on.
There was so much going on inside her head. Could she trust this woman? What would her family think? What was she going to tell her, the whole truth?
"Hello in there?" Tara said, waving a hand at Mel.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to be rude," Mel said, finally sitting down.
"It's okay, happens a lot here!" Tara said, chuckling.
"Okay, why don't you start by telling me a little about yourself? Why you're here."
Mel shifted in her seat; suddenly the couch was completely uncomfortable. She looked over at the woman looking back at her. She was definitely pretty, with big blue eyes and shoulder length light brown hair that fell flatteringly around her face. Thin lips, a perfect nose and nicely shaped body though she was dressed plainly in a simple white blouse and a high waist grey skirt that nonetheless definitely hugged her in all the right places.
Mel looked down at herself. Her own body could be described as fat in comparison to Tara's. Her own skin was a deep mochaccino color and even. Her breasts were much larger and from this angle, so were her thighs. She silently chastised herself for thinking this way.
She took another moment to redirect her thinking and thought to herself, 'Why am I here???' The question kept repeating itself in her head until her response came out.
"I've been cheating on my husband," was the response that fell out of her mouth.
And after a long moment she added, "I've been cheating on my husband with a man who is inappropriate."
She couldn't look at her therapist. She was staring at the plastic plant in the corner as the confession fell from her lips, her cheeks flushed at the embarrassment of her confession. When was cheating ever appropriate? She hadn't told anyone this. Not one person and the weight on her had at once lifted from the relief of telling another person. But this relief was short lived and replaced with the weight of what this woman would think, how she'd judge her and the implication of her words.
"Okay, how long has this been going on?" Tara finally asked, crossing her legs. There was no judgment in her voice.
"Um..."
Mel looked around the room again, still not making eye contact.
"It's been going on for a number of months now."
Mel turned her body towards her therapist. Made herself look directly into Tara's eyes and say the speech she had perfected in her mind.
"It started when I went to visit my husband at work one day. I met him there and things progressed."
Mel took a breath and continued.
"At first it wasn't physical, but it quickly turned that way. I found myself doing things with this man I would never, ever do with my husband."
She paused because her voice was quivering, and she hadn't even noticed she was crying until she felt the drop hit her hand. She quickly wiped them away and cleared her throat.
She continued, "Now he wants me to leave my husband, but I won't, I can't... I.... I... love...my husband."
Mel was now clutching her own blouse with both hands and as the confessions poured out, more and more tears fell.
"I need you to know that I'm not the type of woman, who... who sneaks around, and sleeps with people in sleazy motels and such but somehow..."
Mel trailed off as the memory of their last encounter flashed through her mind.
He bent her over the couch in his small apartment and ripped her stockings. She screamed, unprepared for his urgency.
