You, Me and He

Visit with the Shrink

A Few Days Later
Joe decided to take the day off because he had an appointment with his psychiatrist. It had been a long time since he'd seen her.

Dr. Moore has been Joe's psychiatrist for almost a decade. He had started seeing her when his mother was found stabbed to death in their home—the victim of a botched home invasion which remained unsolved to this day. He and his mother were very close and it was he that discovered her lying dead on the kitchen floor which occurred on his birthday. The shock and horror of finding his mother's body drove him into a mental breakdown. He found himself not being able to sleep and when he did sleep, he was interrupted by vivid nightmares—often waking up screaming and in a cold sweat. In addition, he had stopped eating and often spoke of life not being worth living, even attempting suicide. He was referred to Dr. Moore by a mutual family friend who had become concerned regarding Joe's state of mind.

As Joe pulled into the parking garage of the clinic, he began to reflect...

Joe's POV
I can't believe I'm actually doing this. But, I promised myself that I would get my anger and anxiety under control for the sake of my marriage. I know that I was wrong for the way I behaved a few days ago, but dammit I couldn't help myself. Ever since my mother was killed, I have been overly protective of every woman that comes into my life. Not only that, I still struggle with finding the low life pieces of shit that killed my beautiful mother. I vowed that I would never rest until justice is served. However, I can't let my desire for bloody retribution affect my marriage to the woman I love more than life itself. I have to resume professional help and put these feelings away once and for all...

As I walk in the building, I get on the elevator and press the button for the 4th floor. When I get to the 4th floor, I take a deep breath as I step off of the elevator. As I am walking to my therapists office, for some reason I am feeling somewhat nervous and I really don't know why. As I reach her office, my legs feel heavy and my palms are sweaty.

As I walk into the office, I'm immediately greeted by her overly cheerful receptionist....

"Good morning, how can I help today?" She asks, all chipper.

"Uh hi, my name is Joe Anoa'i and I have an appointment with Dr. Moore?" I say.

"Ok great!!! Great!!! Well sign in and I'll let her know you're here!!! Would you like something to drink like water, tea or coffee?!" She says all excited, her eyes wide.

"Um..thanks but no." I say, thinking in my head that she should seriously switch to decaffeinated coffee.

As I'm waiting, I'm becoming nervous. Will she think I'm crazy and want to increase my medication? My anxiety is increasing just thinking about the possibilities.

Just then, Miss High Strung's voice pulled me out of my thoughts.....

"Mr. Anoa'i? Dr. Moore will see you now." The receptionist squeaked.

"Thank you very much." I say, as I'm led to her office.

"Mr. Anoa'i! How good to see you again!" Dr. Moore says, standing up and greeting me with a handshake.

"Thank you...you as well. How are you Dr. Moore?" I reply.

"I'm good, still in practice but now the mom of 2 year old twins. So I've been rather busy." She says.

"That's great! Congratulations!" I say, smiling. "Are they boys or girls or both?"

"Thank you very much! I have one of each! My husband is happy that he has at least one son." She replies.

Inwardly, I'm envious because actually wanted Shantelle to get pregnant on our honeymoon. But we thought it best to wait a few years, since we only dated a short time. However, now hearing this news, I'm changing my mind.