CHAPTER EIGHT

Mrs. Gwen scribbled something on her notepad as she waited for Kate. The clock behind her continued ticking, and with each passing second, it edged closer to ten o'clock. She had clocked in at half-past nine expecting Kate to be waiting on the lounge, but it was empty. She looked over in the adjacent rooms, but no one seemed to be in sight. The tables had turned, and she was the one waiting now. She liked and despised waiting in equal measure- it gave her time to think things through, but also wasted precious time that could be utilized in doing something else worthwhile.

Mbusiro is late. Mrs. Gwen wrote on her notepad. First-time lateness. Six more hours of mandatory therapy.

Kate had been enrolled in mandatory therapy by her foster mother, who termed her a 'rebel' child. She reported Kate several times to social services, who placed Kate on mandatory therapy until she 'could be an ideal child.' Miss Ellyn could not afford the therapy costs, and thus she called one of her friends from University, Mrs. Gwen, who offered her services at a discount rate. At first, they were free sessions, but after she lost customers due to a firm scandal and ventured out as an independent therapist, she started charging the sessions to keep herself afloat. Kate was one of the fifteen kids she was scheduled to see every week and give reports to Child Services fortnightly. She was the only one who always arrived on time and was cooperative during the sessions. Mrs. Gwen had started seeing progress on her by the fifth week. All was well between them, and this was the first 'instance' they ever had. She had been clear to her and all other patients on the impact of lateness, and even for a first-timer, Kate would not be exempted. She did not have favorites, but she grew to like Kate over their time together. Her lateness could be classified as a stain, but not enough to cause a strain in the relationship they had built.

Mrs. Gwen took a sip out of her water bottle and savored the tastelessness of water as it went down her throat. She liked experiencing the less noted pleasures in life. She then pulled one ball away from the set on her pendulum, observed its texture as she has always done, and let go, hearing a subtle Clank! When it hit the rest of the other balls. The sound seemed to provide a soothing effect on her, and she seamlessly closed her eyes. She could feel the slight breeze coming in from the left window and liked the sensation it had on her skin. It had been a hard day for her, and resting seemed to be the best approach she had. She lit two of her incense candles and laid herself on her chair. Her body instantly appreciated the posture change, and she could feel her lower back muscles relax. She needed that. Mrs. Gwen then allowed her mind to drift and wander on itself, for there was nothing she could do about the situation other than wait. She began to think of the renovations she could do to make the place more calming and homey. Should she change the wallpapers? Use different curtains? Allow more natural light in the room? Thoughts of having fruits on her table, stress balls, and a bean bag started flooding her mind. Barely had it wandered from its immediate office surroundings when she heard the door open, and in came a panting Kate.

"I am sorry." That was all she could manage to say in between breaths. Skating from the dojo and climbing seven flights of stairs had taken its toll on her. Jumping three steps at a time usually affects one's physical composure, and Kate was among those impacted. She always wondered why the building never had elevators yet it was over thirty stories tall. She looked at her therapist, who seemed to be in a calm state, and knew that she had been there for a long while. For her to light her incense candles, she had been there for a very long while.

Mrs. Gwen did not open her eyes just yet but tapped her fingers on the table in a horse-gallop rhythm. She waited for Kate to compose herself before she sat upright and ushered Kate to the couch at the far end of her office. Since she was already late by an hour and a half, there wasn't anything that could worsen the session, or so Mrs. Gwen thought. She stretched her hands, shifted close to her seat pillow, and sat cross-legged. She took in a deep breath and finally looked in Kate's direction. A visibly exhausted and sweating Kate looked back at her. She smiled at her, but the smile quickly changed to a frown when she spotted Kate's dusty rubbers on her carpet. No one steps on her carpet with shoes. No one.

"Uh-uh!" She barked, pointing to Kate's shoes. "Off! NOW!!"

"Sorry," Kate replied meekly and took off her shoes. It was against Mrs. Gwen's policies to have shoes on her Persian carpet. The offense was ranked up high alongside murder and treason in her law circles. No shoes on the carpet! That was her one rule. No one was to break that rule, not even her. The severity of the situation was then registered to Kate when she saw that her therapist did not have her shoes on. She had had a lot on her mind, but Mrs. Gwen's No-Shoe policy seemed to have eluded her thoughts. She knew right there and then that she had messed up—big time.

"My day keeps getting better and better!" Kate sighed as she removed her shoes and placed them on the shoe rack by the door.

"You are late." Mrs. Gwen stated the obvious and wore her glasses. "You know what that means. No need to remind you."

"Yes, I do. Six more hours of Mandatory therapy." Kate said, humbled.

"And?" Mrs. Gwen interjected when Kate seemed to be taking longer than expected in her answer.

"Extra changes per additional session," Kate added.

"I am glad we are on the same page. Are you comfortable now?" Mrs. Gwen had closed that chapter and was ready to start her session. It was easy getting themselves in the same situational plane. Now the therapy session could begin.

"Yes, I am."

"Okay, good." Mrs. Gwen took control of the situation.