One Moment

Fifty-Two

Noel

On August second, the location for my session with Dr. Munson is different. Rather than it being in his stuffy office or down by the pond at the far end of the land the facility owns, I'm sitting on a stone bench in the rose gardens. The sun is hot against the skin of my neck, causing beads of sweat to seep into the collar of my t-shirt. I'm not complaining. I've always loved summer. It reminds me of my days back on the farm.

I lean back against the bench and close my eyes, breathing in the scent of summer and roses. It's beautiful here. And I think that's helped with the time I've spent in the program. Instead of making me feel trapped, I feel like I'm living at an all-inclusive resort.

It's been relaxing, which is saying a lot because I never thought I'd be able to relax after what happened. Yet here I am. I actually wish I would have been more like Kinsley and dealt with my demons sooner rather than later. But at least I'm doing something. At least it's not too late.

"This is a much better meeting place compared to the sidewalk. Much better circumstances, too. No one's about to be hit by a bike."

My eyes snap open and I swivel on the bench to look in the direction of the familiar voice. It can't be...

But it is.

Standing there in a pair of white shorts and a watermelon-coloured top, wearing brown sandals, with her golden-blonde hair tied up in a bun is Kinsley. If my mouth is gaping open right now, I don't care. If I look absolutely shell-shocked, I don't care. I can't believe she's here. I wasn't expecting to see her for at least a couple more weeks.

She smiles, her eyes crinkling at the corners. "Hey," she says softly.

I reach up and run a hand through my hair. "Hey," I reply. "Do you, uh, want to sit down?"

Kinsley nods and walks over to the bench. I move over to make room for her. When she sits down, I'm struck with this overwhelming scent of peaches. Although I haven't seen her for a couple of months, the scent is still familiar and images of us on the farm play across my mind. I've missed her so much. I wasn't lying when I said I was falling in love with her. And I'd be lying if I said I still didn't feel something for her.

We sit in silence for a minute. In my mind, I'm trying to figure out what I'm going to say to her, how I can bring up what happened. I thought this conversation would be easier, but it's turning out to be difficult. I know we both want to talk about it. Igniting the conversation is difficult, though. 

"This is a really nice place," Kinsley finally says.

I look up at her, watching as she looks over the gardens then back at the building. "Yeah," I nod, feeling a hint of embarrassment. "It is. It's been really good for me." My response is seemingly pathetic, but it's the best I can do right now. Kinsley is intimidating even when she doesn't mean to be.

She exhales deeply. "I, um, wanted to talk to you about...about what happened," she starts.

Her eyes meet mine, and I nod, deciding to let her go first. She lost so much thanks to my father. It's only fair that I give her the go-ahead.