Page 40 of Coping Skills

She pulled back and wiped her face with her wrist. “I should shower.”

“Go. Matt’ll be back by the time you’re out. And then I’ll take you to campus. We have to be there by ten fifteen to fill out paperwork, so don’t take too long in the shower.”

A short Hispanic woman entered the waiting room, her long, black hair pulled back with one of those claw shaped clips, wearing a long sweater, jeans, and heeled clogs. She looked from Hannah to Elena before extending her hand. “Elena?”

Elena stood, shaking the woman’s hand before offering the clipboard full of paperwork. “Hi. That’s me.”

The woman smiled, polite but warm, taking the clipboard. “Nice to meet you. I’m Margaret.” She glanced at Hannah again, who stood.

“Hi. I’m Hannah.” And they shook hands. Hannah looked at Elena. “I’ll just wait here, unless you want me to come in with you.”

Elena shook her head. “No, that’s fine. Thank you.”

Margaret smiled again. “Follow me.” She led Elena into a small room furnished with a desk in one corner, and an overstuffed chair across from a matching loveseat in the center of the room. A diffuser on top of the desk sent a soft citrus smell throughout the room. Margaret stepped in front of the chair and gestured Elena to the loveseat.

Elena sank into the cushions, feeling surprisingly comfortable in this cozy little office while Margaret, who reminded her of her mom’s sister, hertíaSusana, looked over the clipboard in her hands.

Pulling out a spiral notebook, she gave Elena another warm smile. “Why don’t you tell me a little about why you decided to come see me?”

Elena forced a laugh, deflection her go-to response. “My roommate woke me up this morning and told me she’d made me an appointment.”

Margaret’s face gave nothing away. “Why do you think she did that?”

“Probably because I’ve been in bed crying since Friday night.” She smirked.

“Why are you smiling?” Margaret’s voice was soft, curious, nonjudgmental. “That doesn’t sound funny.”

Elena opened her mouth, not sure what to say. She always forced a laugh or a smile, uncomfortable revealing the true depth of her emotions. Finally she shook her head. “You’re right. It’s not.”

“Why were you in bed crying since Friday night?”

“That’s a long story. I don’t even know where to start.”

Margaret settled into the chair, adjusting her sweater and crossing her legs. “Why don’t you start at the beginning.”

So she did, going back to the phone call in June when her mom told her that her dad had been in a horrible car crash, the days of wondering if he’d survive, the weeks and months of wondering if he’d ever be himself again. For her part, Margaret’s eyes rarely strayed from Elena, only looking away to make brief notes or grab the box of tissues when Elena started crying. Which didn’t take very long. Three days and four nights of crying was apparently not enough to get out all her tears.

Elena got as far as feeling guilty for wanting to come back to school before Margaret stopped her. “I’m afraid that’s all the time we have for today. Does this time work for you on a weekly basis?”

“Yeah. Tuesdays at ten thirty work for me.”

Margaret stood, crossing to her desk and writing in her desk calendar. “Great.” She smiled at Elena again. “I’m glad you came in. I’ll see you next week, and you can tell me the rest of your story.”

“Okay. Um … how long do you think I’ll need to come see you?”

With raised brows, Margaret examined her face. “That’s up to you. You’ve been through a lot since this summer, and it doesn’t seem like you’ve taken the time to process it or talk to anyone about it. So we need to work through that. Everyone’s different, though, so I can’t guess how long it’ll take. You’ll know when you’re ready to back down our schedule or stop altogether.”

Elena nodded. “Okay. Well, thank you, then. I guess I’ll see you next week.”

“Sounds good. It was nice to meet you, Elena.”

“You too.”

Margaret opened the door and let Elena out to follow the hallway back to the waiting room. Hannah stood, her face equal parts hopeful and concerned. “How’d it go?”

“Good. Well, I mean, as good as that kind of thing can, I guess. I like her, though. She reminds me of my aunt.”

Hannah glanced over Elena’s shoulder, even though Margaret hadn’t followed her out. “Yeah, she does kind of look like her, doesn’t she?” Glancing at her watch, Hannah smiled. “Do you want to grab some lunch? Or …?”

“Yeah, sure.” She hadn’t spent enough time with her friend lately. It was time to change that. “Lunch sounds great. Then you can go to your afternoon classes. You don’t need to babysit me all day.”

Hooking her arm through Elena’s, Hannah pulled her toward the door. “I don’t mind, you know. You’re more important than a day of classes. I can afford the absence.”

Elena looked at her friend, gratefulness squeezing her chest, choking her up again. She blinked away the tears, so tired of crying by now. “Thank you, Hannah.”

Hannah turned her head, her sincere green eyes meeting Elena’s. “You’re welcome.”

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