I have five days left. They kick you out fast around here.
Today Mom took me out on pass to visit with a therapist near our house. I had to tell the new lady all about me and Julia’s gymnastics and Talia’s mayonnaise crusade and even Ali and the brownies. (Ali and the Brownies. That’s my next band name.)
I told her about what I used to do and what I’m afraid of. I talked so much I bet I’ll have no voice tomorrow.
Dr. Silverman was okay. She’s young, with chin-length hair and a tattoo of a laurel wreath on her ankle. She had a cup of cherry lollipops on her desk, like it was a pediatrician’s office, and even though I felt like a little kid taking one, I still did. I like lollipops. And cherry is my favorite.
Dr. Silverman (she told me to call her Margaret, but I kept forgetting) had one of those fountain thingies on her desk, the kind with pebbles and running water. I had to pee so badly by the end of my session. Dr. Margaret let me go by myself, though, and I didn’t have to count. She treated me like an actual person.
So did Mom. In the car, we talked about school and how excited (really!) I am to do schoolwork again. We talked about how annoyed Mom was that none of her friends from book club ever read the book.
“They want to gossip the whole time!” Mom threw up her hands, then quickly put them back on the steering wheel. “I mean, I like to talk, but I like talking about books, too! Can’t we have a balance?” I giggled. Mom giggled.
Maybe we can have a balance, too.