Kiefer Ravena stared mystified by the dancing flames in the fireplace as the burning wood slowly crackled. The smell of smoke was consuming the small office that he was currently sitting in.
Twiddling his thumbs absentmindedly, Kiefer slouched back in his green chase taking a second to observe his surroundings. In front of him was a small table where a cup of coffee had been placed just moments before. The steam rising up from the mug and blending with the smoke in the room, did little to ease his mind of the pending conversation he was about to have.
Beyond the table was the fireplace that had captured his attention while he waited. Over it, a large antic mirror was mounted with unlit candles along the white mantel. Directly diagonal to him was the sofa chair that his counselor had been previously occupying before their disruption. Turning his head to the side, his eyes scanned the name that was proudly displayed on top of her desk. Kiefer focused his concentration on the tall, short haired woman whom he had been scheduled to meet that afternoon. She was sitting at her desk, just finishing up a phone call as their eyes met briefly from across the room. Feeling an odd spark, Kiefer quickly averted his eyes, embarrassed at being caught staring at her.
Moments later, the woman stood from her red, cherry wood desk and approached her client.
"Sorry about that, just had to reschedule an appointment for tomorrow." The woman informed him.
"No problem." Kiefer replied with a half smile.
Taking a seat across from Kiefer in a brown leather sofa chair, the tall woman eyed him curiously and then smiled at him, her lips strained from the movement.
"Now, where were we Mr. Ravena?" Mika Reyes asked as she crossed her legs and grabbed her pad and pen. Settling back into her comfy chair, she situated the pad so that it balanced on her thigh as she regarded him with a tilt of her head.
"Uh... well, I was explaining how I got into a fight with my wife last night." Kiefer continued where he left off before his counselor had received the phone call.
Shaking her head, Mika waited patiently for Kiefer to begin telling her about his problem. "Of course, tell me what happened."
Kiefer looked up at the ceiling, his eyes closed as he reminisced about the previous day's events once he had gotten home from work.
"Well... I guess it started when I got home late from work." Kiefer began. "I was having a rough day at the office. I lost one of my clients to another agency and I had a headache all day"
"Where do you work?" Mika asked.
"I'm in the insurance business." Kiefer spoke monotonously. "It's actually my own business now after ten years."
"You don't sound to enthused about your career choice." She observed.
"It's not exactly the dream job but it pays the bills and it offers my family and I a comfortable lifestyle so that makes me happy." Kiefer shared.
"I see." Mika scribbled something down on her pad. "What is your wife's name?"
Kiefer sat quietly for a moment before responding, "Aereen."
"The reason I ask is because it's easier for my clients to address their spouses on a more personal level. It helps with the emotional aspect of the counseling." Mika informed him. "Please, continue." She motioned with her hand.
"Hmm? Oh yeah... um. So it was a bad day and when I got home my wife was in hysterics."
"How so?"
"Well first she yelled at me for being late, saying that I work too much and I'm hardly ever home which I guess is... sort of true." Kiefer ran his palm over his face. "Then she yelled at me for forgetting to go to the grocery store because we were out of milk and bread, then she complained that I left her car on empty and if that wasn't enough, she accused me of cheating on her." Kiefer sighed running a hand through his neatly trimmed hair.
