RAISE YOUR HAND

Chapter 16

Just how and when Monday came to be was a mystery. In one breath it was a Friday night, then an awe inspiring Saturday evening full of good food, interesting people and new experiences, and finally Sunday. Not that Sunday was all bad, Trinity mused. It actually served its purpose by providing time to catch up with laundry and house cleaning. Even a little couch potatoing was had. All and all, the weekend suddenly, magically, ended up as one big evaporated blur. Depressing for any fantastic-weekend veteran such as herself.

Saturday night's auction kept replaying in her mind. It truly had been chalked full of revelations and experiences she was still wrapping her mind around. She felt like Cinderella with Eugenia as her fairy godmother, a deer in headlights with Dante, an elaborate painting from all the stares she received, to a teenager again with Gio and Mirabella. A stuffed teenager from having eaten too much.

The weekend's memories were a good distraction while Trinity sat uncomfortable on a vinyl couch in a small office, waiting for her new therapist. Feeling a little nervous, she had no clue how this was supposed to go. The first step was always the hardest, or so she had been told. 

At the end of the day, Dante was right as intrusive as his suggestion was. She did need help. She didn't want to feel broken or think of herself in such a way ever again. It was time she started living her life. Simply going through the motions wasn't good enough. She was only twenty for heaven's sake. She shouldn't be working. She should be in college or doing both, rather than trying to pick up the pieces of her life. But she was, and so, talking with someone who didn't know her might help. Either way, she had nothing to lose. An added bonus was that the office visit was fully covered under the health insurance Dante put her on. Insurance was everything.

Trinity owed so much to Dante. He took a chance and gave her a job, a new place to live, clothes and a company car. Even food when she first moved in. It was amazing! Trinity frowned. Not really. She knew why. It was all because he was attracted to her. Did that make him selfish? It was hard to say. Especially since she told him a relationship was never going to happen.

Still. He hadn't taken any of those things away from her. But that was only because he wasn't giving up on her just yet. He asked if she would be interested in him had things been different. Of course she would be. Aside from kind, caring and generous, he was gorgeous. Who wouldn't want to be with him?

Trinity smiled to herself. Perhaps she wasn't as different from him as he was from her when it came to attraction. Her thoughts were interrupted by the therapist coming into the small room and having a seat. If Trinity had to guess, the woman was middle-aged with graying strands of curly hair at her temple. Her skirt was long and wispy reminding Trinity of a gypsy. She looked super relaxed and carefree. A small amount of tension released from Trinity's shoulders. 

"Trinity Fallon?"

"Um, yes, but I'm changing my last name. If you could call me Aldi. Actually, if you could just call me Trinity?"

"Of course. It's nice to meet you. Thank you for coming in. I'm Leslie Shaw," she smiled. Her kind, blue eyes sparkled. "I read through your paperwork. It's a very tricky situation you're in, Trinity. You must feel conflicted between relief and grief."

"I'm definitely relieved." Trinity grabbed her wrist and twisted her hand around while she took in the room, having trouble maintaining eye contact. "As far as grief, I feel numb really. It's hard to believe he's gone because I moved out before he died. So, it still feels like he's alive out there."

"That must be very difficult for you to feel like you can't move on."

"It is. And, I'm not exactly sure what moving on means."