Micki Wall, Matchmaker. (Lesbian)

Questions

"Couples Therapy?" I ask, raising an eyebrow. "What made you decide that?" I had been dying to know why she thought this should be a part of our getaway. Chez shrugged and met my gaze.
"With all these damn breakups, I've come to the conclusion that there's something wrong with the foundation of our relationship. I figure we can try to fix it by trying this 'workshop'." she says, using air quotes.
I grimace. A workshop? For the fuck what? "Why do we have to go talk to a stranger about personal shit?" I asked. I didn't wanna have to explain to another stranger why I loved this one. I didn't have time for them to be judging us on how quickly we slept together or how frequently we broke up. "It's not like that, baby." she told me. "It's more like a self-help situation. It'll be just us in an empty room. Nobody else will be a part of it. It's just the self-help workshop will give us some hints in how to help this relationship." she further explained. She sat next to me on the bed and grabbed my hand, caressing it as she started to talk again. "Mick, I don't know about you, but I love what we have. It's like..." she trails off, trying to find the words to say to me. "... I know we have something good, but the foundation is very shaky. I really think this workshop will help conduct important conversation that we couldn't get through before. I really wanna try and talk our issues out. Don't you?" she asked. I stare ahead as she searches my face for any emotion. I sighed. "I do, I really do." I admit, quietly. She smiles at me. "I do, too, baby." she said, leaning in for a peck on the cheek. I tried and failed to stop the spread of the big stupid smile that I now wore. I loved how affectionate she was. It was so different for me, but in a good way. She notices my smile, and giggles. "Glad to see I can still make you smile."
I was glad, too.
Ultimately, I decided to go along with the plan because I had wanted nothing more than to get to the bottom of our problems. I chuckle. "So, that's the surprise? No blindfold, this time?" I ask. "Yeah, that's the surprise. And no... no blindfold this time. Everybody has been looking at me crazy every time we walk by." she replied. I snickered. "Okay."

After brushing our teeth and washing our faces, we put on our shoes and headed out of the room. For the first time, I was seeing what the hotel looked like. I was amazed at how nice all of it was. We make our way to the other side of the hotel, which was called the Couples Corner. It looked like a small insane asylum. On the information card it claimed that it was a self-conducted discussion facilitator, whatever the hell that meant. According to them the whole place is soundproof, which means that a bunch of people are in here talking about their very personal problems. I was just concerned it wasn't soundproof enough. "I'm scared." I said, giggling nervously. It didn't look very inviting. There was nothing but a sea of gray all around us, until we approached our own room, room 15. We step in and Chez locks the door behind us. Contrary to the sea of gray we'd seen before, the room itself was a coral color. It looked like a therapist's office, but off of a movie set. There was a couch, and two separate armchairs. All the furniture was black, as were the frames used for the portraits hung all around the room. They were of families mostly, but a few were paintings of self-help quotes. In the midst of the furniture stood a marble table with papers on it, as well as a stack of cards. Next to the Kleenex sat a box of pens and hand sanitizer, as well as some dry erase boards. They were equipped with markers and erasers. I furrowed my eyebrows at the sight. As non-intimidating as the environment was, I was still unsure of actually going through with this. Chez notices my hesitance about being in this space and grabs my hand, talking to me as we made our way to the couch. "My friend told me about this, and I figured it would be a good idea to get our thoughts out more effectively." she explained.
"Yeah, but on day one?" I asked.
"Yeah, so we can enjoy two and three without tension." she replied.
I sucked my teeth. I knew we were going to end up talking about sore subjects. I didn't want to be arguing about shit that made us break up. I knew it would be good for us in the long run, though. "Alright." I said, giving in. I sat on the couch, getting comfortable. Instead of facing front, I sat sideways. My left leg remained on the floor but my right rested on top of it, as if I was trying to do a butterfly yoga pose. Chez sat on the other end of the loveseat in almost the same fashion. She stared at me for a few seconds, trying to gauge how I was feeling. "Thank you for doing this for me, Mick." she said, with earnest.
I exhale in response. "It's fine." I responded, nervously. She reaches over and touches my knee. "Calm down. We'll start off cool, okay? Let's get into some partner trivia."
"Okay, okay." I say.
She leans towards the pack of cards. She looks at the rule sheet that explains how to play the card game. "Ask your partners these questions and see what they say. For extra fun, have both parties answer the question. Whomever wins the game gets to choose where your next date is, while the loser has to pamper the winner for a week. Good luck." Chez reads aloud. She gasps. "This game is recommended for people who've been together at least six months!" she exclaimed. I cackled. "And I'm sure they're referring to the ones who have stayed on the whole six months. This game is going to be a disaster." I said, causing Chez to laugh. "It's okay, 'cause either we know more than we thought about each other, or we'll learn. Win-win!" she said, with a smirk.
I grab the first card. "What is your partner's full name?" I read aloud. I furrowed a brow. "Middle, included?" I asked, to be sure. "Yeah, why not?" she replied.
I bite my lip in thought. "I don't think I've ever heard you say your middle name." I said. I was drawing a blank. I knew we'd jumped in the bed early in the game but I felt like I should've known her whole name, at least.
She grins. "I've definitely said it, babe." she said. I furrow my eyebrows. "You sure?"
"I know I did." she replies.
"I'ma just guess then. I bet you it's something hella common, too, like Marie or something. Or like, Ann." She giggles. "Give me an answer." she said. "I'm gonna go with Duchesne Marie Carroll." I answered.
"Final answer?" she asks me. "Final answer." I confirm.
"Wrong." she declared, snickering at me.
I shrugged my shoulders. "So, what's your middle name, then?" I asked.
"It's Carol."
I rolled my eyes. "You're not even paying attention. What's your middle name?"
She cracks up. "I just told you, it's Carol." she said again. I pursed my lips. "Girl, that is not your middle and last name." I reply in disbelief.
"Technically it's not, 'cause it's spelled different but it sounds the same. My mama wanted to name me after herself but decided that Carol was an old lady name, so she made it my middle name." I squint my eyes at her. "You set me up." I said, chuckling. "Well, do you know my whole name? I don't even know if I've actually said it out loud."
"Michaela Noelle Wall." she interrupted. Both of my eyebrows rose in complete surprise. Well. "Lucky guess." I said, eyeing her suspiciously. She giggled at my reaction. "I'm a great listener..." she began, trailing off as she heard me suck my teeth. "...when I wanna be." she finished, putting her card on the table. I lean towards the table and pick a card, myself. "Who are some of the most important people to your partner?"
I furrow my eyebrows. "Easy peasy. Your kid and your mom." I say, looking at her.
She smiles. "Well, yeah, but please know that you're very important to me, as well." she said, with her hand on my knee. I was just glad I had gotten the answer right. I giggle. "I didn't think we were including ourselves in the answers." I said.
"I was definitely gon' put myself next to Syd when I answered this for you." she said. I chuckled. "Well, you'd be right." I said, putting the card on the table.
"Hopefully you don't mind me asking, but what's the story with you and your parents?" she asked. "How come you're not close with them?"
I shrugged. "There isn't much of a story. I never felt like I could just be myself around them. I used to be put under a lot of stress from being at home with them and it showed through how I was developing. Nothing I did was good enough for them, it's like they lived to pick me apart. I was like eleven battling depression. My uncle took custody of me and moved me out here right before starting middle school, and that's when I met Syd. He wasn't nearly as bad as my parents but he presented his own set of problems. Syd was right by my side for every venting or crying session I've had ever since then.  It's why I call her family, 'cause she's there for me like family is supposed to be." Chez smiles weakly at me. "I get it, baby. I'm sorry you had to rely on somebody who wasn't blood to feel safe." she said, in a soft voice. "I'm glad to see you haven't let it destroy you. I guess that's why you're big on communication. You feel ignored when I don't let you get your feelings out." she continued. Then she gasped and closed her eyes. "Fuck." She whispers as she massages the bridge of her nose. "No wonder you were so upset with me. I'm sorry I didn't listen to you, Mick. From now on, I want you to know that I'll always be here to talk. I'll never leave you hanging ever again. Even if we don't work out, I'm here, Mick." she said, looking at me with sincerity. I felt comforted by her promise somewhat, but I was afraid of it being empty. I couldn't trust what she was saying fully, and I felt guilty for it. I nodded in response to her as she pulls the next card. "What is your partner's favorite name to be called?" she asks. We both softly giggle in confusion. "What kind of question is this? Um, I guess you like it when I call you baby, but I can't think of anything else." she says. I shrug. "I like 'baby', but it's more so how you say it. Especially when it's go time." I said, winking. Chez blushes.
"I don't really use pet names. I love to acknowledge you by your name. I'm proud that I can even say it. It makes me feel good." I said, causing Chez to cover her face in embarassment. "Stop it." she warned, giggling. I continue. "I may drop a 'baby' or something here and there, but eh. Is that something you care about?"
She shakes her head. "Not at all. Have you ever even used a pet name for me? I guess, 'girl' could be considered one. I think it's funny but I don't really care what you call me. I know you feel for me— you don't have to call me 'baby' a million times for me to know it. I just like to say it." she admits.

I reach for the table for yet another question card. "When is your partner's birthday?" I read aloud. "It's August something." I said, squinting my eyes at nothing in particular. She wiggles her eyebrows in suspense. I knew she was a Leo, which is fitting 'cause she always reminds me of Mufasa and Scar, but the specific day had escaped me. "Fuck," I said out loud. She giggled loudly. Her and Syd's birthdays were two days apart but I couldn't remember whose came first. Syd's birthday is the fifth, so Chez's had to be either the third or the seventh. She could see the wheels turning in my head. I closed my eyes and guessed. "August 3rd." I said. She cheered. "Yes!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around me for a celebratory smooch. "I didn't think you'd get the day right." she confessed, laughing. "Yours is June 4th but I only remember that because it's exactly a month before July 4th." she admitted. "Look, lets just be glad we both said the right answer." I said, chuckling.
"Okay, we'll just do a one more of these and then get into the actual questionnaire thing." she says. I nod.
She grabs the next card. "What is your partner's dream career?" she reads aloud. She shrugs. "I don't know, aren't you in it? You talk about it like it's your life." I giggle. "I guess I am in it, but I think I've changed my mind about it. It's been hella exhausting to deal with stuff at work, and with recent events, I've become jaded on dealing with relationship stuff every day. I want a change, but I don't know what I want it to be. I'm just scared to leave my job, though, because I get solid pay. I'm not someone that can just get into a career because I love it and the pay isn't great."
"Well, baby, what else are you good at?" she asks me. I shrug. "I don't know. I went to school for counseling. I guess I'm good at talking to people about their problems and giving them solutions, but... I'm not sure. I'll have to really look into it." Chez nods her hair. "I'll be by your side every step of the way." she says. I smile at her. "Thanks."
"Of course." she replies. "Ooh, I don't think I've ever told you what my dream career is." she says, eyeing me. "I don't think so." I replied.
"Well, I wanna be an film actress." she says, with a wide smile. I roll my eyes in jest. "Why, so everyone can fawn over you?" I asked. She giggled. "I've always had a love for drama, believe it or not." I wasn't going to potentially make her mad by making a face, but for the record, I could believe she had a love for drama. Quite frankly, I knew that shit already. I nod slowly, so she could go on. "I just like the idea of acting out different scenarios. It's like sometimes I wish I could be anybody but myself, and acting kind of helps you out with that. You get a new look, and a new name, Mick. You get a new personality and a new plot. I love to read scripts and act everything out, I always have. The thought of nailing each line and portraying each motion just as the director saw in their mind makes my heart soar. And one day, I'll do it. I used to be in the school plays and everything, but that got cut short when I had Lilo." she said, looking down. "Instead of being filthy rich and living it up like I planned, I'm barely making it on an assistant manager's salary at a damn clothing store." she lamented. "You should go to school for acting now. Lilo's in school, right?" I asked. She sighs. "Yeah, she is. As for me though, I can't afford that. I mean, I'm saving up to move into a bigger place." I nod my head. "I want you to go after your dreams, Chez. If that means I gotta be a  babysitter to your kid sometimes, I'm fine with it. I know of some organizations that can help you out with the costs of going to school. It'll take a village, but we can do it. Just think about it."
She giggles. "You're sweet. I'll take this into consideration. I'm glad to know I'll have your support if I take that leap."

She grabs the last couple cards we had by our side and puts it on the bigger cardstack. She stops smiling, chewing on her bottom lip, staring at me. "Now is the harder part. You ready?" she asks. I sigh and reposition myself to sit in the couch like I was supposed to, feet forward. No. I wasn't, but I figured I should hurry and get it over with. "Yeah."