Dreaming of You - on hold

Chapter 1

Spring has left the world. There was no spring or hope. And apparently Sharon didn't get the memo.

If she had, then she would've known that there will be days like this. Would've been better prepared when the mechanic told her she needed new brakes. She would've seen it coming that she had to get to her son's daycare and to her office by bus. Hell, she would've loved it if she'd gotten a heads up that the man in the trench coat beside her would give her and the other riders his version of The Full Monty.

Yup, spring was gone. With no sign of it showing up anywhere soon. Even the cherry blossoms were predicted to bloom late. And when Sharon finally made it to her office, after dropping her son CJ at the daycare behind the building where she had her practice, she prayed that the day wouldn't get any worse. Because no one knew better than her, that when it rains, it floods.

"Not now, Chrissy," said Sharon as she burst through the door of her practice forty minutes late. She glanced quickly at the corner of her left eye to her receptionist as she sat back down and replaced her phone headset on her head.

Brown hair and brown eyes rich and creamy like a Godiva dark chocolate, Crissy was the kind of quiet Elmer Fudd would appreciate in a person. Other than being a hard worker and an only child, Sharon didn't know anything else about her aside what she listed on her resume. But she also sensed a deep sadness within the young woman that called to her.

If only Chrissy would open up to her, thought Sharon, as she felt Chrissy's eyes follow her as she passed the reception straight to her office door.

The mahogany desk dwarfed the woman. All the furniture Sharon chosen were large. The desk and matching cabinet had to be to hold all the current and future new patient files. As well as office supplies. It was practical. Even the candy dish strategically placed on the desk and closest to the door had a purpose.

Every morning, Chrissy filled the bowl with peppermint candy. Seeing a psychiatrist is not always an easy decision for people to make. The menthol found in peppermint helps relieve the stress that some of her patients, mostly the ones seeing a shrink for the first time. Sharon wanted her patients to be relaxed and comfortable as possible after they walked in through the door.

Also another reason the furniture in the reception area was large. Sharon wanted to give off the feeling of a heart large enough to soothe and comfort. The walls were painted a light blue to compliment with the cream carpeting.

To the right were two photograph of sunrises in white frames. Both great finds from the Art Plus art gallery in Potomac Mills Mall. And hung above the grey, plush sofa that curved as if it wanted nothing more but to give you a hug.

A small, corner kitchenette to the right of the sofa sectioned off the room with a low wall that Sharon had converted as wall shelf and painted white. It overflowed with past issues of Forbes, Psychology Today, Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Popular Mechanics, GQ, Reader's Digest, Jet and Ebony Magazines.

The kitchenette had everything she needed short of an oven. A silver chromed Frigidaire wedged neatly underneath warm, brown cabinets and next to the white marble countertop. And a matching microwave above The sink. The gleaming black of the Keurig K140 Brewer machine contrasting nicely with the counter and the green tiles backsplash.

Twisting the handle of her office door, Sharon turned back to the reception's desk and said, "Just give me twenty minutes to get ready. Then send Mrs. Scarlett in."

"Mrs. Scarlett cancelled last week," replied Chrissy as she bent over to check the calendar on her desk.

"Oh, that's right," said Sharon. She rubbed her forehead and thought she could kick herself for forgetting that. Mrs. Scarlett had mentioned about an invitation to a baby shower for a cousin. They'd talk about it in the last several sessions. Sharon was concerned if the woman should attend so soon after the loss of her own baby eight months ago. And it troubled Sharon as it seemed that Mrs. Scarlett didn't really want to go yet she talked herself into it. Suddenly spouting words like 'it's time to move on already' and 'have to face her fears.'