Don't You Therapize Me

{MAYA}

"Why do you think my mother is not good as yours?" Maya thought, she needed to come up with an answer that won't contradict anything. She needed to say something which would make Brent talk to her without stalling.

"Maya."

"Yes."

"I wish I had a mother like yours, why is my mother not good. Hell, I don't think my mother and good should be in one sentence." Brent said and closed his eyes.

"You need to keep your eyes open Brent, please don't sleep," Maya said with a whisper, she didn't even know that Brent heard her, "okay, sorry," he said.

Brent was the kind of person who would sleep anywhere and any time, he didn't have any problem with that. Four years ago, Maya was not aware of Brent's sleeping habits and she would always find herself talking to a sleeping Brent.

"You remember these days," Brent stated and rubbed his eyes. Maya nodded, of course, she remembered, four years of being best friends had made them know one another well, and that was on the top list of what Maya knew about Brent.

"I promise, I won't sleep." Brent said and Maya said, "okay."

Maya was still thinking about what she was going to tell Brent without making him feel like she was on his mother's side. Brent on the other hand was waiting for Maya to support his mother so he could yell.

He was wrong to think like that but he really needed to yell without scaring Maya.

Mother. It was hard for Maya to talk about that without praising her mother without making Brent feel bad about his. Her mother was the best and she was always there for them. "Mother?" Maya asked.

"Yes, why is your mother good?"

She could just mention how her mother was bad to make Brent stop thinking that his mother was the worst mother in the world. But what was she to say, that one time her mother didn't want to give her upkeep money?

That was a lie and she knew Brent would realize that.

Finally, Maya came to a conclusion, Brent should talk to her mother regarding the topic 'mother' Maya knew her mother would know the right thing to tell Brent, mother always knows best and mother always knows what to talk to people even if they were not their kids.

"Mother is best and mother would always be best." Maya thought and smiled at Brent as if she had just come up with a great idea to save the world, "Brent, maybe you should come with me to my apartment and talk to my mother."

"Maya is that all you have been thinking, I swear I thought I was going to listen to a great speech from you, but anyways, it is okay," Brent said and lift his head from Maya's lap.

"Okay, you will come with me or?" Maya asked excitedly.

Brent took it wrongly, he turned to Maya and asked her, "are you tired of listening to me? And now you are shipping me off to your mother?" Maya gave Brent a perplexed look, that was not what she meant, that was not what she thought Brent would think, how did it turn that way?

"No Brent, I am not saying that. I am just saying…"

"What are you saying? Uh, explain to me?" Brent said through gritted teeth.

Maya was shocked, how did it escalate that quick, and no, no, no, she was not going to allow Brent to talk to her that way, he might be her best friend, but he was accusing her of something she didn't say in the first place.

"Have I bored you? Don't you want to listen to me?" Brent asked, and instead of the sweet voice Maya always heard from him, she could hear anger and resentment. Maya looked at Brent who she knew was going to cry anytime soon, those words were not addressed to her, those words were for himself.

Brent began by stalling, and now he was at the blaming stage, blaming himself as he continued stalling from whatever he wanted to tell Maya.

They stared at each other and then a tear dropped from his eyes. Maya moved close to him and told him, "it is going to be okay dear."

Once she was done saying that, her eyes went wide, she didn't mean to call him, "dear" and her voice, oh the voice she had just use on him. Yes, she was going to talk to him as a professional consellor but she wanted her voice to be that of herself, normal, and really hoped she didn't show any signs of being a therapist.

It was too late and Maya could see that Brent caught the therapist in her tone. Brent wiped the tear from his face and asked her with a stoned face, "don't you therapize me, Maya."

"I…" Maya began and stopped there was no need for her to finish that sentence, she knew it would make everything worse, and since she had told herself that she was going to therapize Brent for a moment, there was no need to lie to herself and lie to Brent.

"I am sorry. Talk to me."

"No, so first, you shipped me off to your mother and now you are therapizing me, don't look at me that way Maya, I have known you for four years and I know that voice, that is the same voice I hear you sometimes talk to your sister, and brothers."

Maya looked down, and thought, "oh, great." She looked up, and Brent was not finished, "I told you when we met, I don't ever want you to therapize me, Maya. Why now? Are you all tired of me?" He finished and continued looking at Maya as if he wanted to

"No, we are not Brent. I am sorry."

"We, who said anything about 'we'?" Brent asked, and Maya finally realized, Brent was not going to tell her anything at that moment, what Brent wanted was a fight, and what Maya wanted was to hold him and tell him that she was there for her.

She wanted to inform him, that he can yell, and thrash some things in the office, well, they can clean up later but Brent stood abruptly and said to her. "Just go be with your family."

"You are my family," Maya said and stood up.

"I am not anyone's family, you are not my family, you are just friends with me because I am poor."

"What?" Maya asked and she knew she needed to get out of there before her level of anger leveled that of Brent.

"Yes… I know that and…"

"Brent, bye," Maya said and walked to the door.

"NO!" Brent shouted and Maya stood still at the door.