Love's Rapture

Kelly: A New Beginning

I moved in with Parker in August, a few days after my nineteenth birthday. I'd gone to counseling sessions every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for the first few months after my parents realized the extent of my trauma until Dr. Woodman said she thought I was okay to come once a week. I hated everything that had to do with seeing her initially, but over time I realized how much she was helping me and how much I needed her.

It was coming up on the anniversary of Breton's death, and I had a session scheduled to talk about how I was doing. I hadn't visited Dr. Woodman in a few weeks, and I was excited to see her.

"Hey, Parker," I said when I entered the kitchen. He'd been living on his own since he turned eighteen. When he told our parents about his dream to run a coffee shop on a college campus, they'd encouraged him and bought a shop for him. They wanted him to flourish, and in the few years he'd been running it, flourishing is what he did. He was still a pretty quiet guy, but I could tell he was happy.

"Good morning," he answered in a rough voice. He wasn't a morning person. I glanced at him, sitting at the table and laughed. His shoulder-length hair was a complete mess, and his eyes were closed as he sipped his coffee. "You gonna go apply for school?" he asked, opening one eye enough to look at me.

"I don't know." I sighed. He'd been asking me if I was going to apply for school every single morning for the past three months.

"You need to go to school, Kel."

I smiled. "You didn't."

"Yeah, but I own a successful business. If you want to start a business, I will encourage you, but I know that isn't what you want."

"I'll talk to Dr. Woodman about it today." I conceded.

Now he was the one smiling. "She's going to take my side."

"You're right. She is always trying to make me better myself." I laughed. I took out a coffee mug from the cabinet and filled it before I headed out. Her office's drive took a few minutes longer since I'd moved, but driving always gave me a silent moment to think things over.

I wanted to go to college, but I was so nervous about being around people again. The last year of my high school experience was the darkest period of my life, and I didn't want to invite that again. Putting myself around other people opened doors to being hurt, and that's the exact opposite of what I wanted.

I pictured myself in front of a classroom full of students, all with easels in front of them, and found myself smiling. That was a perfect dream, in my opinion, but it would take a lot of work to get there. I'd been out of school for almost a year, and by the time I went back, I'd be twenty-years-old.

I arrived at the office and made my way inside. The receptionist, Dara, greeted me with a warm smile.

"Good morning, Kelly. Dr. Woodman is finishing up with someone. She'll be out shortly."

"Thanks, Dara." I sat in the waiting area, and true to Dara's word, the doctor came out to get me a few minutes after I arrived.

She'd become a counselor for a lot of the same reasons that my mom did. They loved to help others sort through their issues and find a form of peace, even in heartache. My mom had been right when she said this was where I needed to go.

Dr. Lindsay Woodman was a few inches taller than my 5'6" frame. Her light brown eyes stuck out against her dark, brown skin, and her gentleness was something visible as if an item of clothing she wore. It was the first thing I noticed about her.

"Hey, Doc," I greeted when she shut the door behind us. I sat in the chair I usually did, and she moved to sit in front of me.

She smiled at my nickname and asked, "How are you?"