[TonyPerry] Now It's Your Turn To Run

Dos.

“Can you have him leave a message and tell him I won’t get back to him until later tonight? I can’t, I can’t take on any more patients right now. There’s just no time. Don’t tell him that though, I will.” Shaking my head, I run a hand through my hair, inwardly groaning. I've been getting so many calls, from so many people, but I just don’t have the time, I don’t even know how they know of me.

My specialty, in the beginning, was working with the criminally insane, the ones who committed horrible murders like cannibalism and such but we found to have mental illnesses that stopped them from going to jail. But, what people fail to realize, is that you would rather go to jail than be deemed criminally insane because those people in there, the way they’re treated, if you were able to fake a mental illness, you would end up having one.

I think that’s what made me want to do this, to work with the criminally insane and work with inmates in prisons that were eventually getting out and returning to the real world. I became a counselor before I started working in prisons.

“Whatchu mean you too busy? It’s money.” At one point, my father stopped trying to play the role of the perfect father; that one point was when he stepped into the courtroom, with charges of distribution of narcotics and murder under his belt. That was great, so fantastic, learning that he ended up being so deep into the dealing that he killed an “employee” for spending his money.

The man who raised me with firm beliefs in education had pretty much disregarded everything. “What do you mean you’re too busy? Is that what you were asking me?” I treat them all like my children, and most of them hate it, so they don’t do the things that I hate, they learn, I’ve trained them, but he’s defiant because no matter what he will always be the parent and I’ll be the daughter. “Between here and psychiatric facility and all the kids, I don’t have time for more patients, father.”

Rolling his eyes, he shakes his head, and I don’t know why, if he’s disappointed in me for not taking on more clients, or if it’s because I'm saying no to money, or simply because he’s done with this session. “All he need is a night in here. Spend time with these crazies and he cured.”

“You know what, dad, I'm not in the fucking scared straight program shit, okay, so stop acting all tough and shit. Talk like a normal person. We didn’t live in the fucking ghetto. You’re not from the ghetto. Your mother would be rolling in her grave if she heard you talking like that. It’s pathetic. I’ll see you next week.” Slamming my palms on the edge of the metal table in front of me, I push back, not even cringing at the squeaking of the chair sliding against the floor.

The next time we meet, he won’t talk like that. I pushed his buttons. That’s what I do. I push buttons and I get the results I want. Everything I say is true. I see things that others don’t. I observe. I stay silent until I have enough knowledge. Then, then I get everything that I want out of the person, because I know enough to push buttons.

Everyone wants me.

And that’s why.

&&.

“Hello?”

Running a hand through my hair, I lean back against the couch, swirling the wine in the glass, moving my wrist slowly; I hate doing this. “Hi, this is Dr. Braelyn Matthews. I got the message that you called earlier and I, um, unfortunately, I can’t take on any new patients at the moment.” Biting down on my lower lip, I sigh softly, my stomach flipping as I suddenly feel horrible.

I hear him sigh, a heavy sigh, like all the other mothers who call me, praying that I can fix their child, or partners who want to fix their lover, but I can’t save everyone. “Are you, not even once? Just to tell us what we can do to help him?”

I want to vomit. “I don’t have a slot open until next week. It’s a Friday night slot. I usually reserve those for institution visits, but if your friend is concerning you, I can try to help.”

“Awesome, oh God, thank you so much, thank you. His name is Tony Perry.”

Of Pierce the Veil. And I'm talking to Jaime Preciado.

Great.