If I Ever Fall In Love Again

《chapter 14》

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The lady in the chair looked up at him and smiled. She looked like she was in her late 50s, her small afro a pretty shade of grey and smile wrinkles lining her face. "Well hello there, you must be Peter. Come on in. Ohh, and close the door behind you."

He quietly closed the door and sat down without a work. 

"So, Peter-"

"You can call me Bruno. People only call me Peter when they're mad at me. Plus it makes me feel old."

She smiled again. "Alrighty, Bruno. How's it going?"

"It's um.. well I'm ok."

"Just ok?"

"Just ok."

She smiled kindly at him again. There was just something about her smile. It made him feel like he was wrapped around a bunch of warm blankets and drinking eggnog while Home Alone played on the t.v.

"Well, my name is Dr. Solomon, but that makes me feel old," She grins at him. "You can call me Joy."

Bruno smiled. "Joy. I like that name."

"Thank you. Now, I know you're a bit nervous today so I'll start by getting to know you better before we get too serious, ok?"

He nodded. 

"So," She reached over and grabbed a journal from the far side of her desk. "What's your favorite color, Bruno?"

"Well... I like the color red. Well-- maroon."

She nods and writes something down. "Maroon. That's interesting, I've never heard someone say maroon before."

"Oh..is that bad?"

She laughs. "Not at all. Everyone else says the basic colors like blue and yellow and green. Your color is very complex. A sign that maybe you like to stand out?"

Bruno nods slowly. "Yea.. I do."

"Alright, now I'm going to move on to a serious question, is that ok?"

"Sure."

"What changes do you want to make in your life?"

"Well..." He sunk in his seat a little as he thought about it. "I'd like to be happy."

She nods. "And what steps would you take to achieve that? To be happy?"

He shrugs. "I'm not really sure... I mean.. the one thing that used to make me happy is gone."

She nods and writes something down in her journal, her eyebrows furrowed. Bruno takes this as a time to look around her office. There was a Nigerian flag hanging on the wall behind her, right beside the window. There were different pictures that were also hanging on the wall, that different showcased children, with pictures that looked worn and tired and pictures that looked brand new.