Infinite

The First Session: Part 3

Houston, Texas in Dr. Wilson's Office, Thursday, September 5th, 2030 at 3:00 pm

Rachel

The fabric of my black dress pants swishes against my legs as I sit down gingerly on the couch next to Lucas. His strong build is outlined by the light coming in from the window while he is fiddling with the dark blue velvet of the sofa. The deep gray of his suit is littered with creases like it's been stashed away in a bag for months.

He must have thrown it on haphazardly after work.

Lucas almost never wears suits unless he has to. He has a strong dislike for social events that involve dressing up, and I usually have to beg him to go with me. I have to wear professional attire for work and enjoy the confidence I feel in looking put together. I glance down to admire my shoes; they're black pointed ankle boots with quite the heel. The underneath of the sole is a deep purple, which accents my fitted blouse. Lucas loves dark colors, and I love feeling his eyes on me.

The light shaking of the couch brings me out of my daze. I glance over and see Lucas bouncing his leg up and down. I can clearly see the muscles in his thighs as he flexes. His broad shoulders are slouched, and he has his left elbow resting on the arm of the couch. His chin is placed on top of a fist while he gazes out the window.

He's probably analyzing the types of clouds in the sky to keep his mind busy.

In high school, he would tear off the paper on the outside of his water bottle when he became anxious. Now, he just taps on things with his foot or his finger repeatedly. It seems to calm him down and help him think. The only problem is that he's always thinking. He's not a think-out-loud person like me, so anytime we have an argument it just ends up with me talking and him...thinking. I know that he's listening to me, but he never says anything or acts on my words. That's why we are here, in marriage counseling.

I look away from Lucas and around the room. There aren't your usual paintings of forests and beaches everywhere. I guess not everyone has the same idea of what relaxing imagery looks like. The aesthetic in the office is very regal. The color scheme is dark but does not feel cold or dull. There are splashes of gold around the room, hiding in paintings, book titles, symbols on awards and plaques. All of the knobs on the china cabinet and the desk are also gold.

Lucas was recommended to this therapist by his best friend and coworker, Cooper. He said that this psychiatrist saved his relationship with Anne. Well, his exact words were, "this guy is a peach!" I smile as I think about Cooper's enthusiastic and southern disposition.

I hope that Lucas and I are as fortunate.

The door opens and an older, kind-looking man walks in. I see Lucas stand up out of the corner of my eye and I do the same.

"Hello, I am Dr. Wilson." He reaches out to shake my hand, and then Lucas'. When he stretches out his arm, he reveals a stunning, gold watch. It's the kind of watch you have engraved for a loved one as an anniversary or Christmas present. It matches the theme in his office.

"Please, have a seat and let's get started," he gestures back towards the velvet couch and takes a seat in the matching chair across from us.

"Nice to meet you Dr. Wilson," I say, knowing that Lucas isn't going to start, "I'm Rachel."

"Lucas," I hear a tired voice from my left. I glance over at him again and study the wrinkles in his suit. It probably came out of his spare bag in his truck, which means he slept at the office again last night. I can't remember the last time he took a day off.

"Nice to meet you both. I'd like to jump into our first session together by getting to know who you are as individuals," he opens up a binder in his lap and flips through some pages. "Rachel, it says on your intake form that you're a teacher?" I sit up straighter and smile at Dr. Wilson.