Tyler's brow furrowed as he shifted in his chair, the sharp edges digging into his back. He could feel the blood moving through his veins. His discomfort was visible to everyone in the room.
He had been waiting for five minutes and all wanted was for the wait to come to an end.
"Sir" the receptionist called out. Tyler was lost in thoughts
"Sir!" She repeated with a more stern tone.
"Yes. Yes" Tyler jolted back to reality.
"Madam Layla is ready to see you now," she said, feigning a smile.
"Okay. Thank you" Tyler responded. He took in a deep breath as he stood to his feet.
You've got this he muttered under his breath. Taking weak steps, he walked into the office.
"A beautiful afternoon to you Tyler. I'm so glad you could make it. I am Layla and I am the therapist assigned to you." Layla greeted, all smiles.
"I still hear their voices," Tyler blurted.
"Ookay. No room for the pleasantries. That's fine by me." Layla picked up a pen from her pen holder. "Ride on Tyler, I'm all ears" she concluded.
"I still hear their voices. Calling out to me each time. Telling me to stay home. I was.. I was the cause of their demise. I killed them" Tyler quivered, his lips shaking.
"Calm down Tyler. Who are the "them" in question? And how did they die? Layla asked with an emotionless face.
It was really obvious that Tyler was unsettled. He was fidgeting intensely and sweat was visibly dripping down his face.
"Six months ago, I went to a party. My parents instructed me not to but my teen spirit said otherwise. Before the party, I was packed with euphoria. I.. I" Tyler stuttered as he put his face on his palm and started sobbing.
"Oh dear" Layla said as she walked towards the sobbing teenager.
"It's okay Tyler. I know it can be hard sometimes but you made a great decision accepting to come for therapy. You do not need to continue if you don't want to" Layla said, still trying to comfort the sobbing teenager.
"No. No. I want to do this. May I continue?" Tyler managed to respond amidst tears.
"Yes. You may"
"I went to the laundry room to iron my outfit for the night and I forgot to turn off the socket. " Tyler paused for three seconds. "I carelessly placed the iron on the ironing board and I forgot to switch off the socket".
At this point Layla knew where the story was headed but she decided to play the role of a good therapist and listen.
"My friends were waiting for me outside our apartment so I jumped out through my room window. I was really excited about this party because it was hosted at our prom queen's house. Not everyone got invited to such parties so I didn't want to bail. I should have.. I should have listened to my parents" Tyler stuttered.
Layla, who didn't want to interrupt his confession session, just kept nodding in assertion. Tyler probably understood why she was nodding and so he kept going.
"At the party, I had so much fun. So much fun! It was like the best day of my life. This party lasted for about three hours. I left my house around 9pm and by 12am I returned to a house ablaze". Again, Tyler started sobbing uncontrollably.
Layla gave him light pats on his back.
"I'm so sorry Tyler. I can understand how you feel".
"No you don't. You didn't get it? I'm a murderer" Tyler blurted.
He had a point, he was indeed a murderer.
"Fine, I do not get it but I want to. I want to feel what you're feeling and share in your pain. That is why I am here for you."
Tyler looked into his therapist's eyes like a puppy would its owner. All Layla could see was an innocent soul yearning for closure of some sort.
"Would you like to continue?"
Tyler wiped the tears from his face and cleared his throat "Yes I would". "I came back and our apartment had been burnt to the ground. For a minute, I wanted to believe that my family had somehow escaped but I remembered that they were all fast asleep by the time I eloped. A minute later, I overheard a worker giving his superintendent a report . There were no survivors. I could feel the sweat run down my spine as tears flowed down my face effortlessly. I just couldn't believe it." Tyler was trembling at this point. He tried to stifle the tears that were imminent but his tear glands gave him away.
Layla walked up to her table and grabbed her box of wipes. She always had that around as most of her clients usually had emotional breakdowns. She pointed the box in Tyler's direction and motioned on him to pick one.
"The fire left a mark on me. I loved playing with fire as a kid but now anything that reminds me of fire is a threat. I lost my family to the fire.
Layla's alarm clock went off, signifying the end of her session with Tyler. She sat beside him and placed her hands on his shoulder.
"I am really glad that you decided to share your story with me. Telling me this story is a major step and you have made so much progress. You are a really strong kid and I must commend you for that. Living with this wouldn't be easy but I would be here with you every step of the way. "
The fragile looking Tyler nodded in assertion.
"Unfortunately, our session for today has come to an end but I tell you what," Layla dipped her hand into her pocket and brought out a card. " Here is my personal number. If you ever hear their voices again or you want someone to talk to, you can always call me."
"Thank you so much Layla. I really do appreciate your time."
With a smile she responded"The pleasure is all mine. I guess I would be seeing you in Wednesday"
"Yes, Wednesday" Tyler muttered as he stood up to leave.
Layla watched as he walked out the door.
"That was one very intense session." She heaved.
It was her first month as a therapist and Tyler's story was one of the worst stories she had heard. She felt sympathy for the kid. Reluctantly, she rang the bell. Her receptionist came in.
"I'm ready for the next client," she told her receptionist a smile.
"Okay ma'am, " the receptionist replied.
…Here we go again.