Obsession: Callie Douglas, Book One

Chapter Thirty-One

My next patient of the day was a felon, a prostitute who had tried to commit suicide several times while in jail. She wasn't being sent to me for furthering the case against her but was rather being sent to me in the hopes of identifying proper treatment to keep her safe.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Callie Douglas", I said as the police officers removed her restraints.

"Hi. I'm Precious."

"You are precious or your name is Precious?"

"My name is Precious."

"It's nice to meet you, Precious", I said as I motioned her onto the couch and sat down in the interviewer's chair. I started the recorder. "How are you today?"

"I'm fine, I guess."

"Do you know why you're here?"

"Not really."

"The staff at the jail have reported that you tried to commit suicide several times. Three times, in fact. They're worried about you."

"I don't know why they're worried about me. I'm not worth worrying about."

"Why not?"

"I'm just a washed-up prostitute."

"Washed up?"

"You know. Has been. I used to be a good 'ho. I didn't do no drugs or nothin'. I always used a condom. I was clean. I had a lot of repeat clients because of that. Johns could always count on a good time with me. Now I'm stuck in jail."

"How long have you been a hooker?"

"About ten years. And I never had no STIs or nothing."

"That's pretty amazing. You've been doing this since you were sixteen?"

"Yeah. I left home early. I was tired of my old man helping himself to me, if you know what I mean. I figured I might as well get paid for my efforts."

"So you left home. What were your plans?"

"I was going to earn money at night and finish my schooling during the day. But life doesn't work out the way you plan. I found that I needed to work lots of hours to earn enough to pay for my own place and good food. I never did go back to school."

"How does that make you feel?"

"I don't know. I guess I feel like a failure. I never intended to become a prostitute. It's one thing to do it as a means of putting yourself through school. It's another to just be a hooker. Not that there's anything wrong with being a hooker. It's not like it makes you a bad person. I met all sorts of nice women who were caught in the life. It's just that you're always working against the stereotype, you know? Most hookers smoke a little pot, snort a little cocaine, drink a little alcohol. Anything to dull the disillusionment."

"Do you feel disillusioned?"

"I guess I do. I wanted to be a social worker. Instead, I'm just a piece of meat."

"You're much more than a piece of meat. You're a person, with thoughts and interests and feelings. Outside of being a hooker, what do you like? What makes you unique as a person?"

"Nothing. I'm no different than any other hooker out there."

"What do you like? I know you said that you'd like to be a social worker, but you're more than your dreams and your profession. What are your interests?"

"I don't know."

"Do you like to cook? Sew? Read? Watch TV? Watch movies? Garden? Decorate? How do you spend your spare time?"