Beyoncé, 9:30am.
"Ms. Knowles?" A lady called, poking out of the doorway.
I threw my purse over my shoulder and stood up, giving her a small smile. "Hi, how are you?" She asked as she opened the door wider for me to walk in.
"Fine. Well, if I was fine, I wouldn't need to be here." I said smiling, trying to stay optimistic.
"A sense of humor... check." She pretended to write it down on the clipboard, making me laugh harder than I really needed to.
She sat down at her desk and motioned me to sit in front of her.
"Good morning, Ms. Knowles. I'm Dr. Union, but you can call me Gabrielle or Gabby or Gab, whatever works for you."
"And you can call me Beyoncé or Bey or Yoncé, whatever you'd like."
"I like you already." She giggled. "Why don't you get comfortable, and tell me a little about yourself."
"I'm 22 years old—soon to be 23, I work as a fashion designer, and I have a beautiful daughter who recently turned one."
"Recently? When is her birthday?"
"June 10th."
"Cancer?"
"Gemini."
"Ohhhh, I was close." She said shaking her head. "So what do you like to do?"
"I like to be around my daughter and eat."
"I know that's right."
"Do you have kids?"
"No." She said and looked off. "That was a little exercise to warm you up. Let's get down to business, shall we?"
I sighed and my face dropped the smile it once had. "We don't have to get too deep into it, it's still our first session. I'd just like to know what's bothering you."
I looked down at my fingers. "I was uh... I was raped."
"When?" She asked softly.
"18 days ago."
"And how are you feeling?"
I sniffled and she handed me a box of tissues. "Like trash."
"And why is that?"
"Because he made me feel like trash. A-And I feel like no one will ever look at me the same... I get so uncomfortable around men and I feel like I'll never be able to make love to my man, because he probably thinks of me differently now." I started breaking down in my hands.
"Hey, don't think like that. You are beautiful, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. You hear me?" I nodded and she continued. "If your man really loves you, he will help you get through this rough patch. I can almost guarantee, you two will be making love again like nothing ever happened soon enough, everyone needs som time to grieve." She smiled making me smile through my tears.
"You really are a beautiful young lady, Beyoncé. I'm sorry you have to go through this."
"Thanks, Gab." I said still smiling. She reminds me a lot of my mother. Just her demeanor and the way she speaks are giving me Tina vibes.
"Does anyone know?"
"Only my boyfriend, my sister, and my boss, I think."
"Believe it or not, talking about it helps up the healing process. Now, that doesn't mean go tell everybody and their mama, it means discuss it with those who care about you. It may help you feel a weight being lifted off of your shoulders. And remember, there is no rush. Take your time."
