31 Days of Halloween

Day Sixteen: The Airplane

The house was creepy. Kenneth knew he needed to be here but that didn't mean he liked it. His coworker mentioned this woman at the office, said she did wonders for him during his divorce. She was a great therapist, if expensive, but Kenneth didn't know if he wanted to do this. It seemed too soon to be seeing a therapist and besides, her place of work looks like a decrepit building ready to be torn down.

But still, he paid for one session up front, so he didn't have a choice at this point. It was going in and let this woman listen to his sob story or throw five hundred dollars down the drain. And frankly, he'd rather not waste money. So, in he went with a sense of dread. Her front door had a brass knocker, odd choice for a suburb-style home, and it clanged loudly in the quiet afternoon. Kenneth jumped from the noise and then the door swung open on its own, bringing a sense of foreboding to his bones.

Kenneth wanted to run. He wanted to say screw the five hundred and run back home but instead he stepped into the threshold. "Hello? Dr. Keller?"

"In here, Mr. Hobart. I'm just making a cup of tea, make yourself comfortable on the sofa." A high feminine voice called from somewhere past the foyer, and Kenneth did as he was told. The sofa was a pale green that clashed with the rest of the grey furniture, and it looked like it had seen better days. The cushioned chair before the sofa must be where Dr. Keller sits, and Kenneth wished he could sit there instead.

Dr. Keller walked in then with a steaming cup of tea, the tag on the teabag hanging down by the handle. It looked strange, that little tag. Kenneth didn't know why but he wasn't going to like this session.

"So, Mr. Hobart. You said you needed to talk through some things. Do you want to start off by telling me what kind of things?" Dr. Keller had a pleasant enough voice, matched her kind and gentle face. She wore a simple white blouse, lace along the sleeves, and tan slacks. Professional if a little boring, but on her it looked nice. Her house may be a nightmare but at least she was nice.

"Well, I've had a hard time recently. I've had to take some time off work because of it. I just can't function anymore, like I have a rock on my chest, and I can't breathe."

Dr. Keller scribbled on the pad of paper on her lap, her eyes snapping back to his face. "So, whatever is causing this anxiousness, has now kept you at home instead of going to work? What is causing your anxiety?"

Kenneth pulled a newspaper clipping from his pocket, the ink smudged from how many times he's pulled it out to read it. He's memorized it at this point. He handed it to Dr. Keller. "This is the obituary that came out a few months ago."

"This says a pregnant woman named Anne got on an airplane with her two small children in December. Mr. Hobart, is this your family?"

"She was bringing the kids to her parents' house for Christmas, I was going to follow in a week when I could get away from work. It was the last time she could visit them before the baby came. They were alone on that plane...they all died alone." Kenneth felt his chest compress, a lump forming in his throat thinking about his family. They were going to have a girl, they had two boys and Anne always wanted a little girl.

"Mr. Hobart, I don't think I'm qualified for this type of tragedy. I'm not equipped to help you through this, however I have a colleague who is more familiar with family matters. Her name is Annabeth, she works upstairs in this complex. You can go upstairs today, if you'd like. No charge."

Kenneth stared at Dr. Keller, not fully comprehending what was going on. "What do you mean, no charge? Do you guys work together? Is that how you can give me a discount like that?"