“Hey bookworm! We’re already at the cafe, get your butt out of that stuffy library and join us!” Pete sent a message in the group chat “Freudian Non-Sleep”, it’s our pun with school friends for that famous psychoanalysis concept.
I know he’s referring to me. This group chat has been chattering since this morning about where they’d be working on their paper. A few of them already decided and agreed to hang out at the coffee shop instead of getting stuck at the library with their noses buried deep in different related literature. We just can never have enough RRLs. The APAs we’d probably be citing will put the paper space to shame. Sometimes we like to convene so that we can provide inputs to each other when we feel stuck. This is why I appreciate this group. We support each other, especially in completing our requirements. It’s the middle of the week and some of our professors have given us a welcomed respite, if you can call it that, to work on this.
I initially said I’d think about it. We’re all in crunch time mode now because the end of the semester is actually just around the corner and we are all getting antsy as it nears. My grades are perfectly secured, it’s just this paper that’s holding me back from savouring the much needed peace the break will give me.
“Alright, I’m headed there. I need some inputs anyway.” I replied after convincing myself.
The coffee shop is about a 20-minute walk from the library at my usual slow pace.
“Jamie is here! Hey you, hurry! I have a question.” one of my friends greeted me.
“I hope I can help you with it because my head is going to burst. I’m getting a terrible headache with all the analyses I have to wring out of my brain.”
I took my spot at the table. I’ll order something later when I settle.
“At least you can still wring something out of that well-developed brain of yours. I feel like my dead brain cells have actually cordoned off the healthy ones. I’m stuck.”
I laughed at that remark. Don’t we all.
“Which part?” She’s working on a paper about Ethical Practices in Psychotherapy, an ever evolving concept.
“If you’re the psychotherapist, how do you respond when you are threatened, even stalked, or harassed by either your current or former clients? I just need a fresh eye on what I wrote.”
“Well the ethics code will always be the excellent starting point but as your research suggests, certain practices are ever evolving right? So it can’t really provide specifics to every issue or challenge we’d be facing - if I need reference, yours should provide clear, timely, and practical guidance for me. Your models will be my tool. In that way, I can still do my job in helping our clients while protecting myself too.”
The exchanges in our table made it look like we’re in a study group because of the different concepts we throw at each other. There’s progress in what we’re writing though, which is good. Sometimes we’d be too silent and you can only hear typing or papers shuffling. Those sounds actually kind of calmed me.
“Jamie, check your phone.” Pete disrupting me from my constant page-flipping.
“Hmmm?”
“Check your phone, your boyfriend is bothering me asking if we’re with you or if we’re busy.”
I kept my phone inside my bag on silent and I hadn’t noticed that it’s been a few hours since I last checked.
“Oh, okay. Thanks, Pete.”
“Check it now as he might be worried. I told him the books have already devoured you and you need rescuing.” He playfully warned.
“Shut up!”
I took my phone out of my bag and I saw a few missed calls and messages from him. He must have been on his break. Usually when I’m in the zone for writing I tend to disregard my phone. He gets it and has been patient nonetheless because he’s like that too. He knew though today that we don’t have lab work.
“I’m so sorry 😓, I wasn’t checking my phone the entire time. I’m with them at the coffee shop. What’s up?” I sent the message hurriedly.
“It’s okay. 😊 I see that Hogwarts hasn’t recruited you yet, Granger. How’s your paper going?”
“It’s actually going well! 😄 Accio!”
Now, if you’re a potterhead, you’d know.
“I wish I could. 😘 I just wanted to check on you. I’m on my break. Here, I hope this would suffice with that summoning.”
He sent me a picture of him eating what seemed like a piece of bread or something.
I snorted with laughter at how silly he looks. I looked up to see my friends at the table, all five of them, staring at me with an amused grin.
“One minute you’re distressed the next you’re in cloud-9.” one of them remarked. “Yeah, I wish I could have that too these days.” another agreed.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Go back to whatever you’re doing. I’m going to take a break.”
“Give us your phone - we’ll take a picture of you. I’m sure he sent you either a funny text or a picture. That’s usually your case whenever you react that way.” One of them offered.
I told them to stop playing around and take the picture already because we’re getting noisier by the minute. It might bother the other tables, but they don’t really care. After how many attempts, they were finally satisfied with my picture. It was weird because it’s my picture and they’re the ones trying to call the shots on which looks better. They must be in need of a break too.
I sent Sean the one they approved.
“My panel of Judges all agreed with this photo and they wanted me to send this to you. 😝”
We continued exchanging messages for a few minutes until he needed to get back to his lab work. It was just our usual checking in with each other.
“Looks like you guys are getting a little more serious huh?”
I guess these guys are going to take a longer break than I expected and I am going to be debriefed while they’re at it. I gladly gave them a nod then I had an idea. I can get free inputs, hopefully the rational ones, from this bunch. At least I will have differing perspectives since we have mixed gender representation in this table.
“Question, what do you do when there’s someone who you think likes your significant other?”