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‘Hello, Melanie, good to see you again,’ said Hannah, as she greeted her client in the waiting area.
Melanie stood and walked along the corridor with her therapist to the room they usually used, and they took their seats at the small low table.
Hannah could see that Melanie looked so much better than she had upon their first meeting. Her shoulders were more relaxed, and she held her head up higher. She no longer appeared to be shrinking her body to take up the least space. Some of the worry lines on her forehead were gone, and her face looked more relaxed and less pinched.
‘So, can you tell me how you’ve been feeling in the last week?’ asked Hannah.
‘I’ve been feeling a lot better, thanks. Do you like my new hairstyle?’
‘I was just going to mention it. Really nice, it suits you.’
Melanie’s hair was a good four inches shorter, now that her tresses just touched her shoulders, and she wore her hair down, rather than pinned up on top of her head. Her thick black mane looked lustrous as it shone in the autumn sunlight which crept through the vertical window blinds.
‘I went with Izzy at the weekend to a place in town. We both decided on new styles. Izzy went for something much more drastic. Sorry, I’m babbling on a bit,’ she said, self-consciously.
‘It’s OK, it’s good to hear that you are happy with your appearance. Have you felt in control of your thoughts this week?’
‘Yes, generally.’
‘Have you thought about your schooldays much?’
‘Well, I have thought a bit about them, not very much but when I have, I’ve told myself that the bullies can’t hurt me any longer. I keep looking at the letter I wrote to my bullies. I’m in control of my life now, not them.’
‘That’s really good, Melanie, well done. How about at night, do you have any bad dreams?’
‘I do sometimes, but they don’t bother me so much.’
‘Last time we talked about positive affirmations, and I gave you some sheets to look at. Did you get a chance to draw up a list which is specific to yourself?’
‘Yes, I’ve written them down. Do you want to see them?’
‘I’d like you to read them out to me, is that OK?’
Melanie seemed reluctant. ‘It’s embarrassing.’
‘There’s only me here. It’s important to think of yourself and your attributes. I’d love you to try.’
‘OK,’ she paused and appeared to take a deep breath before beginning, ‘I respect others, and I respect myself. People like me. I am an interesting person. I enjoy spending time with people. I have so much to offer, and much to contribute,’ she paused. ‘That’s all I’ve got so far.’
‘That’s an excellent start, Melanie. Now, try your breathing exercises. Relax your shoulders and let’s go through those again.’
**
Tom was driving up to Surrey to see Trish. After yesterday’s visit, he had arrived home physically and mentally drained. He wasn’t looking forward to telling her that he wouldn’t be able to visit each day, it was too much. Last evening, he had made himself some scrambled eggs on toast and had then taken a quick shower before climbing into bed at 8 p.m., but despite his exhaustion, his sleep had been disturbed and fitful. There was so much churning around in his head that he just couldn’t relax.
Yesterday at times, Trish seemed like he’d always known her. Even tempered, fragile, slightly depressed and anxious. But at intervals, another Trish had broken through. As she seemed to drift from the present moment, she became detached and distant, and a coldness crept over her. He had been shocked as she revealed how calculating and well-planned her campaign had been. Not only that, her abuse of the guinea-pigs and the killing of the mouse had unnerved him. This was a side of her he would never have imagined existed. These thoughts had troubled him throughout the night, and in the small hours, they had been particularly disquieting. Had he never really known the real Trish at all in over twenty years of marriage?
However, once he was up and into his morning routine, those unsettling thoughts had shrunk more into the background, and he was feeling more positive. He just hoped that the trained professionals would be able to unravel the complex web of her emotions and pick through all the horrendous events of her formative years.
