HOLLOW » Zarry ✔⚠

60

The next day, Harry sits in Dr. Kershman's office across from her. She already has in mind what she wants to talk about today, but she sees something isn't right. Harry looks a bit down. He looks downhearted and depressed and she wants to know why.

"Harry are you alright? You seem a little off right now."

He doesn't answer. He just sits there staring off at the window behind her.

"Well, I'm not going to continue with therapy today until I know what's wrong. I need to know if whatever is going on in your brain is going to effect all this good progress you've been making lately. Because if it is, we need to get to the bottom of it now." She sits the clipboard down, so as to try to make this more personal and less about his medical issues. "You know you can trust me with anything and anything you tell me is confidential. It always has been."

Harry nods and speaks quietly. "I know that."

"Then will you tell me?"

He shrugs his shoulders nonchalantly but she notices the way he perks up. "Yeah, but... there's nothing to tell. I just have a question."

She hums. "Go ahead then. Ask it."

It takes him a moment to get his thoughts together so that he doesn't give away any information he doesn't want to give away. "How do you get somebody to forgive you if you've done something to hurt them?"

To say her heart beats fast, is truly and understatement. But she still keeps cool. "What do you mean? What have you done, Harry?"

"I only did it because someone hurt me first. That is all Dr. Kershman. Please I... I just want to know what do because I really want the one I hurt to forgive me. What should I do?"

She gives him a warm expression so he doesn't end up running away, although deep inside, she's dying to know what he's talking about. "Based on my past experiences, it's a three step process you have to follow."

"Three steps?"

"Yes. But don't worry. I'm sure you can do them." She clears her throat. "First, you have to forgive the one who hurt you. So that means whatever happened to you, you have to let it go and you cannot hold a grudge against them. You stop being bitter, you stop being angry and then you let it go.

"Secondly, you have to forgive yourself. If you expect someone to forgive you, you have to first start with yourself so that you don't think about it anymore and so you don't have a hard time trusting you'll be forgiven.

"Now lastly, and this is very important... You have to go to the person you hurt and you have to make it all better with them. Which means you'll need to apologize. And it takes a humble person to apologize. Don't be fooled though. Once you do your part, it is still ultimately up to them to forgive you. But the main thing that I am positive of, you will feel more content with yourself, regardless of the decision they make."

Harry's eyebrows crinkle. "So it only takes those three steps?"

"Yep. Only three. Do you think you can do that?"

Harry thinks about the first step. The one that seems like the most difficult of them all. "Yeah, I guess I can try. But it's going to be so hard."

She smiles at him, completely forgetting she was eager to want to know why he asked that question in the first place. "I have faith in you Harry. Since the day I met you, I've always had faith in you."