Childish Tendencies

Flip Flops

Chapter 9 - Flip Flops

Alia

"Sorry I'm late," I burst into the room almost crashing into a cabinet near the wall.

"You're going to hurt the baby - my baby if you keep running in like that!" Fae screeched.

"Sorry, sorry," I mumbled, collapsing on the couch near her. I scrunched up my nose at the inexplicable smell of radish. The waff was coming from, the women on the desk in front of us. Her hair was tied into a tight bun, her eyes pulled back as if she could not keep them open. She had tight lips and you could see the stubble on her upper lip.

"Mrs. Greaten," I nod at her, telling her she can begin. I couldn't believe Fae dragged me to a baby counselor. Mrs. Greaten slapped her flip flops against the floor, flipping them of off her cruddy feet.

"Are we ready to get started?" she asked in a squeaky voice. I glanced at Fae to see her lips in tight line. She nodded curtly, "Alright then, can the mother of the baby please stand up?"

I sprung up immediately, not wanting to further piss Fae off. I sneaked a look at her to see that she was standing too. Ms. Greaten looked at us, confused. "Well, the baby is in my tumm-"

"The fetus is in her womb, however it is my genetic material," Fae interrupted. The counselor nodded, scratching the bald patch on the top of her head.

"Alia, will you please come to me?" I walked to her and she placed her hands on my stomach. "Alright, now breathe like I tell you to, okay?" I nodded, "Take a deep breath in," I did as I was told, "And let it out through your mouth. Now take another deep breath in, and repeat. Do this ten times," I concentrated on my breathing, conscious of Fae standing behind me. All of a sudden, Fae swooned and fell onto the couch. I ran to her to wake her up. She had broken into a sweat and her forehead was burning. I caressed her cheek and her eyes fell down with weight. Fae jumped up at the sound of her phone vibrating in her pocket. She pulled it out. It was Arthur. 

"I have to take this," she mumbled, before shakily getting up and waddling to exit the room. 

I knew better than to follow her. 

"So, Alia, I have a few questions, do you mind?" 

"Oh, ofcourse not," I smiled through my worry and plonked onto the couch. 

"How many surgeries have you had?"

"Well, one, not counting the baby, I had my appendix taken out when I was thirteen," 

"Ah, and do you ever meditate?" 

I shook my head, "But it sounds... peaceful." 

"It is, you should start meditating, here's a CD," she lifted herself of the chair and padded across the room barefoot. She handed me a CD with the face of a man across it. "One meditation takes an hour. Do you work?"

"Well, I go to university in the mornings and I'm doing an internship, but no, I don't work.."

"Oh, an internship? And where's that?"

"Uhm, its at Gregtons Institute. I'm working with this girl, to help her paint. Well paint in a productive way instead of a destructive one," I laughed eyeing Mrs. Greaten. Something in her expression changed. Her flaky skin was scrunched up at the eyebrows and her jaws were set tight.

"By any chance, is the girl's name Mia?" I nodded, confusedly.

"You know Mia?"

"Of course, I do, I used to counsel her," Mrs. Greaten eyes were raw, "That was before I found out what she did - I don't counsel murderers."