Chapter 8

"It's good to see you today my name is Dr Hougvarts, I will be your therapist, my services are completely free as it is offered to all university students"A woman greets as I take a seat by the sofa.

She is glowing with inner beauty, stood quietly and unassuming as she watched me take a seat through her heavy lash laden eyes. . Her cheekbones high and protruding to give her a chiselled look on her pale creamy skin, topped with exquisitely shiny black hair, it tumbled down and curved around her lean and slim torso. She was tall like the women of the Amazon and held herself with poise and grace. She shimmered in the light and there seemed an essence of personal growth emanated from her.

she takes a long look at me as if she knew me.

"I'm sorry you just look really familiar," she says while sharing at me with an intense look, she has a hypnotic voice but with a sophisticated accent

"It's ok, I'm Genora Davis," I said while extending my hand to greet her as she takes her seat on the couch opposite mine.

"How can I help you?" she asks while she shakes my hand.

"I wanted to first ask before we start, do you ever get tired of your job, are you dedicated?"

"When the therapist is aware that he or she is in service to the soul – and this attitude does not need to be spoken. The therapy room becomes the sacred space, the hour becomes sacred time, and the process becomes a ritual in the best sense of that word."

I nod, my father always told me other therapist s didn't care for their patience and at the end of the day just wanted to get paid. I thought it appropriate to ask her that.

"Recently I lost my memories, there are people I can't remember, people I've hurt..." I say while looking down to my lap in shame

"For some reason, I went against my girlfriend's word, instead, I trusted a guy, and I've had this feeling that I should talk to someone about this and I know my dad would help but I just can't face him right now." I continue to ramble on while fiddling with my fingers.

"So tell me exactly everything that happened when you woke up."

"Well, my dad was there and my girlfriend."

"How did you feel when you saw them there when you woke up"

"I don't know I felt like everything was not making sense, I just didn't want to say anything about it so I went along with it because my dad assured it. I fucked up, it's my fault that I don't have my memories right now- so I thought let me try and make it up to this girl that I'm dating and my dad approves of."Tears start to stream down my face, with bloodshot red and my eyes leaked with sadness

"Does your father not usually approve of your friends or spouses?"She asks while handing me a box of tissues.

"My dad doesn't like it when I have friends. he says people are bad but for some reason, she was an exception... so maybe she was good and if my dad says she's good then I believe she's good."

"Why does it sound like you're trying to convince yourself?"

"I don't know because I was like ok let me give it a few weeks and maybe I will get those feelings back but I'm not feeling anything it's been a month, I don't know."

"Have you had any other contact with a different friend? Was she your only friend?"

"Supposedly there was this guy called James and he was the one that told me to stop taking those pills that cause me to have a relapse and lose my memories. I saw him and I didn't know what to say- I was just so shocked but he was talking to me as if nothing happened but the most complicated part was that I had this feeling in my heart I didn't want to hurt him. l didn't believe him but how can I? My father had told me that he hurt me and my dad would never lie to me."

"Have you talked to this boy James ever since that day?" she asks while scribbling in her diary.

"no, for some reason it is hard to see him walk away from me, I don't know what's wrong with me."

"Have you made any new friends over since you haven't lost your memory?"

"my father told me Lisa is the only friend I can have, and the only one I can trust, so I haven't attempted to make a friend- I tend to avoid people a lot."

"Tell me, did you grow up in a happy household?"

" I think so, I mostly remember ice cream; I don't know I was always in the house studying to make him proud"

"Are you happy with your current studies?"

"I think so Dad said I would like it eventually."

"Do you?"

"I don't know"

"What do you like doing in your free time, Genora?"

"Painting"

"Do you think you like painting more than accounting"

"It doesn't matter, dad says painting won't get me anywhere"

"On the contrary, if your good, you make a lot of money with that."

"Do you know what kind of pills are you taking?"

"No"

"Do they cause any side effects such as headaches maybe that's why your friend James suggested that you should stop taking them, did you let him explain why he made you stop to take them in the first place"

"No" I lie

"I'm not gonna tell you what to do but I would suggest finding out both sides of a story and deciding for yourself what is true."

She sighs

"listen I can see by your reaction that you're very scared, but you have to be strong "she gently says and reaches out for my hand to attempt to comfort me. I am touched from the gesture-this feeling, this moment feels so...familiar.

"If you would like, we can do a little therapy session here where I can help you to slowly recovery memories?"She says while motioning to the bed

"Really?"

"Yes, depending on if you want to or not. If you feel as if it goes against your fathers' wishes that's also not a problem"

"I wanna try it out this once and see if I'm comfortable with that"

She nods and leads me to lay back on the bed.

"alright get relaxed, you feel like your mind is clearing up, everything is calm right now- tone out everything from the outside"My body felt as if it was floating and my mind wide open.

" Just think about home, think of happy moments that you had with your father - tell me what do you see."

"I'm in my room and I'm painting, my father enters the room, he reaches out to grab my hand and lead me downstairs. We are further in the hallway... "

I start breathing heavily.

"What do u see now?"

"There is no room at the end of the hallway but my dad opens a secret passage. I'm scared but he starts to lead me down the stairs telling me not to worry... ." I start panting

" try to calm down Gen—

"by the end of the stairs is a basement, I don't know he's opening the door..."

"Okay that's enough!" she says while clicking her hands, bringing me out of the trans.

I sit up trying to catch my breath while she rubs my back trying to soothe me.

"I think we have had enough for today"