I wake up nervous this morning. Greg spoke to a friend of his who works as a counsellor for child abuse victims. "Best in the business" Greg said. I know that this is a good thing but of course my nerves always flare up. I get up,shower and dress, looking for my most sensible clothes. Greg and Charlie are on the couch, when Charlie sees me he greets me with a large smile. This is Greg's way of knowing I have arrived.
"Morning Minn" He says without turning around. "Morning" I say in return
"Good morning Ali, how are you feeling? Nervous?" Charlie asks. I shrug my shoulders, unsure of what awaits me today.
"You will be grand Rachel is great at what she does , after an hour you will feel like you have known her your entire life" says Greg. I smile weakly
"Just take it slow , they won't push you if you aren't ready Al" Charlie said as he brushed a finger against my chin. Memories of our kiss the other day come flooding back. he must feel it to as I swear I can see him start to blush.
Rachel's office was a lot homier than I thought it would be. Eight single chairs in pairs of twos are all around the reception area and a small office to the left. Flyers for different types of services are available on the wall to the right. There are two people, both ladies are sitting in the reception when I enter with Greg. He gives my arm a little squeeze to let me know that he is still with me.
"When you in there Minn just remember you are doing this for you, no one else. You deserve to be happy"
"Thanks dad!" I say sarcastically. He sticks his tongue out at me. "Come on, let's get you fixed girl"
We walk up to the office and an older lady is behind the desk. maybe early 60's, a short lady, thin, her dark hair starting to grey. She notices us and stands up as she greets us. "Good morning I'm Valerie, how may I help you?"
"Ali Foster to see Rachel at 10 am" I say shakily
"Don't worry dear, we don't bite, the pay isn't so bad, we can afford food!" I laugh. I like Valerie already.
"Please take a seat, I'll let her know you are here"
"Thank you " I say
We take seats facing a large wall that has a Eoin O Connor painting. It is of fields , Ireland I'm assuming and I can't help but smile at it.
"Just like home" Greag says I nod and add" The only thing that's missing is the rain!"
I'm starting to get a little more nervous waiting to meet Rachel, thoughts going through my mind, what if I don't like her, what if she doesn't like me! Get a grip Al, things will be fine. today is just a getting to know you meeting , nothing major.
"Ali Foster" I can hear my name mentioned and I look up to find an attractive lady,wavy blonde hair and brown eyes looking down at me.
"Ali I'm Rachel, lovely to meet you. Greg it's great to see you again"
"And you Rach, thank you for fitting us in"
"Of course Greg. Ali, would you please come with me"
"I'll see you in an hour Minn"
We walked down the hallway to a room on the right. The lights were dimmed and in the corner there were toys and art supplies. There were two chairs in the room and candles spread out through the room. The room also had a smell of lavender. I love it, lavender always relaxes me.
Rachel sits opposite me and starts," Ok Ali, we are here to just chat and get to know each other, you can stop at any time. Do you have any questions?"
My mind has gone blank I just shake my head.
"Remember Ali, you are in control of this conversation, I'll go where you go".
The hour flew, I said my goodbyes to Rachel and head out to meet Greg.
"Still alive eh?"
"Yeah just about" I say while smiling
"Ali I will be in touch with you in the next few days and we can arrange another meeting"
"Rachel , thank you again for your time, I greatly appreciate your help"
Greg and I head to grab a bite to eat. He didn't say much but he was watching me intently. "If you have something to say Greg, spit it out"
"Me, no, nothing to say" "Greg!" "Ok , I was just wondering if you actually will go back to see Rachel, I can't seem to get a read from you Minn"
"I will go back" "But?" "No buts, I'm just thinking about the things I said to her, I 'm surprised that I said so much"
"I don't know if I said it or not, I really should say it more often, I'm proud of you , it takes balls to face your issues"
"Even if I'm 10 years late doing it?" "Better late than never hun, you're making the change now, that is all that matters" "When did you become this guardian angel type Greg, how did it happen?"
"Mum" "What?" "Before she passed she said that I could change the world if I wanted to. I thought about it and when I met Charlie I realised that by helping just one person I could change their world."
"I like that" I say, "Very profound bro"
"Can't help it that I'm so great sis, naturally amazing I guess"
"And modest too"
We both laugh.
As we are eating our meal I look at my brother and I think about how lucky I am to have Greg in my life.
YOU ARE READING
Funny little thing called life
FanfictionAli is a young woman who goes to stay with her brother and his best friend Charlie Cox. She is running away from her past. She thinks she can hide out with them for a few weeks and go home. She finds a true friend in Charlie and maybe he can help h...
