The Art of the Hustle 2 (Complete)

Chapter Twenty-Two

Deon entered the psychologist's office cautiously like an animal in a veterinary's clinic. He looked around at the nice décor and fancy degrees hanging on the wall. It made him feel uncomfortable. He regarded any nice establishment as an institution that was against him, would marginalize him, or have a hidden agenda. In every way, he was anti-establishment and didn't trust people in positions of authority.

With his guard up, he sauntered up to the receptionist and announced his presence.

"Good afternoon," the receptionist said.

"Wassup," Deon growled, still looking around suspiciously.

"Do you have an appointment?"

"Yeah."

"May I take your name?"

"Deon."

"Okay, Deon. Please have a seat. Can I get you anything — water, coffee?"

"Nah," Deon said, walking over to the waiting area.

Deon took a seat, but the whole time sat like a gangster. His thuggish persona was a defence mechanism and anyone with an education could see right through it. This would surely come up in one of his sessions, if not the first thing. He wasn't sure what to expect and despite Trevor's criticism of his behaviour, he found it far too easy to fall back into old patterns.

Several times, Deon contemplated walking out of the office, but the allure of being taught by a master like Trevor was too appealing. For whatever reason, Trevor saw something in him and decided to take him on as a protégé. Deon felt very lucky and didn't want to mess up that opportunity. If Deon were to leave Dr. Chang's office and not go through with what Trevor told him to do, it would surely test Trevor's patience and he may be done with him altogether.

"Deon?" a friendly and attractive lady greeted him. "I'm Dr. Chang, but you can call me Whitney."

Dr. Chang extended her hand and displayed her perfect smile. Deon shook her hand and then followed her into her office. He wasn't used to people being so friendly.

"Please, take a seat," Dr. Chang said, gesturing toward the sofa. "Did you want something to drink?"

"No, I'm fine."

"Okay, then let's begin," she said. Dr. Chang sat cross-legged across from Deon. In her lap was a yellow legal pad for taking notes. It was elevated so that Deon couldn't see what she was writing.

"This is my first time here, so what do you want me to do."

"Why don't you start by telling me what you hope to get out of our sessions."

"I don't know."

"Okay, let me phrase it another way. What areas of your life do you want to improve the most?"

Deon thought for a moment and then said, "I want to be rich."

"Great," Dr. Chang said, scribbling something at the top of the page. "Why is being rich important to you?"

"Because... you can buy whatever you want."

"Okay? What else?"

"Um... people give you respect."

"Do you feel that you don't get the respect you deserve now?"

"No."

"Why do you think that is?"

"I don't know."

"What do you wish you would get more respect for?"

"I don't know."