The Therapist

Last night was extremely difficult for me. I had to stay calm and remain the professional that I am in this situation. I did the best that I could. In all honesty, I wanted to help Simone beat Terianne into another life. After leaving, in my mind, I went back over to Mimas’s and gave that Terianne just what she deserved. There is a customized place in hell for people like her. She is a screwed-up individual. What kind of person sits by and allows something like this to happen to a child? Then, to make matters worse, joins in and sexually abuses the poor girl as well. Thank heavens, Kathy was able to bury her childhood in work and school. This is similar to how I had to entomb myself in my practice to escape my bare bones.

My hands tremble now as I think back on last night.

Even though Mimas had walked in on Todd violating Kathy, Kathy had never spoken a word about any of it until last night. The comforting prospect in all this is that she currently attends college on the border of Connecticut and has agreed to come down on her breaks and days off for counseling. She’d also like to reconcile and rekindle her relationship with Simone. Even though the two of them had resided under the same roof and endured the same pain of Todd’s actions, they had drifted away from each other. Afraid and ashamed, they had kept to themselves and had shied away from everyone, including one another. I’ve even taken the liberty of agreeing to travel to see her weekly for counseling.

We are now headed to the service, and my gut is telling me we should reconsider attending. However, I promised Simone that I’d be by her side. Kathy was too worked up last night to go back to her room, so she ended up staying with us. Right now Terianne is the last person that I need to see, but she is the first person I catch sight of in the parking lot of the funeral parlor when we pull in. She deserves to be in that coffin alongside her precious Mimas. While they’re at it, lay Todd right on top of them. Alive. Then have the coffin nailed shut. Experience is the best teacher. That alone will teach him the true essence of what it feels like to suffer and have your innocence and freedom stripped from you.

A malicious grin prances across my face as I get out of the car, but within seconds, it evaporates as we walk through the doors of the funeral parlor. Of course, Terianne is standing at the podium, I tell myself. I sigh.

“I just want to get this done and over with,” Kathy says and squeezes my hand.

“Thank goodness it’s a closed casket,” Simone mumbles.

As we take our seats, Terianne steps up to the podium. Searching the room, I notice there really isn’t a vacant seat in this place. Mimas appears to have been truly loved. If Simone and Kathy weren’t considered family, we’d be standing.

Looking at Terianne, you’d think she was one of the sweetest persons in the world.

Terianne stands about five feet nine and has a tinted vanilla complexion and a tiny frame. Her eyes appear to be the most significant part of her body, and they complement her beauty. She is a beautiful girl. Looks can be deceiving, because her behavior makes her hideous.

As I study her, Terianne opens her mouth and begins to speak. “On behalf of Todd and myself, I would like to begin by thanking everyone that is here today and those who have sent their condolences. We’ve received countless phone calls, flowers, meals, visits, thoughts, and prayers. They have been comforting during this difficult time. As most of you know, my name is Terianne. I am one of Marguerite’s children. Mimas to Todd and me, but Marguerite to most of you. After Todd, she wasn’t able to have any children of her own, so she took me in and made . . . me . . . her . . . own . . .”

The sounds of chatter suddenly invade the air, making it hard for Terianne to continue and for anyone to hear her. Which is fine with me, since I have been doing my best to ignore Terianne, as her words pierce me. As I do everything in my power to focus all my attention on Sage, I hear Simone’s voice loud and clear.

“You evil witch! Now Mimas will be mourned by one less child,” she shouts. I look up as Simone leans forward to wrap her hands around Terianne’s neck.

“I didn’t even see her get up from her seat,” Kathy blurts as she stares, dumbfounded, at the scene before us.

Frozen, unable to move from my seat, I shield Sage’s eyes to prevent her from witnessing her mother give Terianne what she deserves. It feels as if I am having yet another out-of-body experience. Simone is up there, but I see and hear myself inflicting much pain on Terianne.

As Simone’s hands slide around Terianne’s throat, Terianne’s eyes widen in surprise. Simone tightens her grip as Terianne flails her arms and tries to pry Simone’s hands off her neck.

“You don’t deserve to take in the same air as the rest of us!” Simone yells as she tackle Terianne to the floor.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Candice and Tracy appear and try to pull Simone off Terianne.

“Where’d they come from? I didn’t know they were here,” I say to Kathy.

With her chest heaving up and down, Simone breaks Candice’s and Tracy’s hold on her arms and knocks the two of them down. Then she attacks Terianne again. “I won’t stop until there isn’t any breath in your body,” she shouts as she kicks and punches Terianne.

With the help of Kurt and Patrick, the nephews of Mimas’s deceased brother and Mimas’s plus-sized family members, Candice and Tracy get Simone under control, and she is carted out of the grieving area. She puts up a fight on her way out; however, she is no match for Kurt and Patrick, the family’s “bulldozers,” as they refer to themselves. The name is fitting since they are six feet five and weigh around 300 pounds. Still, the two of them aren’t rough or harsh with Simone, or with Kathy and me when they ask us to leave, though we know they mean business. Terianne also makes sure that we are told that we aren’t welcome back at the house for the repast either. So instead, the five of us—our little group now includes Candice and Tracy—find a diner a couple of blocks away from the funeral parlor so that we can have a bite to eat.

“What came over you in there, Simone?” Candice asks, badgering, once we are all seated at a table in the diner.

“Terianne is a monster. She deserves to be six feet deep, alongside Mimas,” Simone responds.

“You don’t mean that. You’re angry right now. Take a moment to calm down,” Candice tells her.

“I’m calm right now, or I’d be trying to get my hands around her throat again.”

“Simone!” Candice rolls her eyes.

“Look, everyone please settle down, before we get kicked out of this restaurant. It’s bad enough Simone got us put out of a funeral,” I say, chiming in.

“That was humiliating. I have never seen anything like that before in my life. I am mortified,” Candice acknowledges.

“I appreciate you coming, Candice, but you don’t have to be here,” Simone snaps. “Everyone can’t be perfect like you. Terianne humiliated me and the rest of us up there, talking about how she and Todd were Mimas’s only children. How do you think that made me feel?”

Candice frowns. “For one, I am far from perfect. Yes, Tracy and I came unannounced, as we wanted to surprise you, but most importantly, we wanted to be there for you. We got on an airplane for the first time in our lives for you. Does that mean anything to you, Simone? I get you’re upset, but you don’t have to take it out on us.” She looks to Tracy for assistance.

Tracy nods her head in agreement.

“Like I said, I appreciate you coming all this way for me. I really do. However, if you went through what she put me and Kathy through, you’d understand,” Simone says.

Candice’s frown deepens. “Understand? That would be difficult, no matter what. The last thing I wanted was to see you fight. What if you had gotten hurt or something? It was scary and shocking to walk in and see you choking the life out of someone. So, forgive me if it’s taking me time to wrap my head around what just took place, Simone. We got put out of a funeral, for God’s sake.”

“All right. Settle down, everyone,” I say, trying to restore the peace. “I understand where both of you are coming from. However, this isn’t about you, Candice. Simone did what she needed to do for her own closure. It might not have been the traditional or peaceful way for someone looking for closure, but it was her way of obtaining it.”

“Dr. Binet, I cannot believe you’re saying this right now.” Candice’s eyes grow wide.

“Everyone has their own way of handling things. That you have to understand,” I tell her.

“You know what? You’re right, Candice. You did come here for me, and to see me like that should have bothered you. Please forgive me if I scared or upset you. What I won’t do is apologize for what I did. If I could have killed her, I would have,” Simone says.

“What about Sage? You’re not thinking clearly right now,” Candice responds.

Simone shrugs. “I would just have to cross that bridge when I get there.”

“When?” Candice shakes her head.

“She’s upset right now, Candice. Let’s try to change the subject,” I say, attempting to steer the conversation in a different direction.

* * *

After lunch we pick up some snacks and fast food to hold us until the morning, and then we all go back to my, Simone, and Sage’s hotel room. Our flight is at 6:30 a.m. Candice and Tracy were able to get set on the same flight back that Simone, Sage, and I are taking. God in heaven knows when I made the plans for this trip, I had no idea all this would go down the way that it did. The last thing I wanted was for Candice and Simone to go at it with one another. But, on the other hand, Candice needs to see both sides of therapy. She’s familiar with only the comfortable stuff.

These two days have worn me out. I am as tired as Sage is, and I cannot keep my eyes open. The girls spend the entire afternoon and evening talking, rekindling ties and catching up. By eight o’clock, I am ready to get my beauty sleep, but they are still going strong. I am a little older than they are, and there’s but so much of their conversation that I can tolerate these days. So instead of losing my mind with their chatter, I take Sage around the corner to the hotel room that Kathy reserved, and Sage and I spend the night there.