Babes Stripping For Love

Charlotte drags another puff of her cigarette before putting it out in the nearest bin when she saw Lexie walking towards her. It was three days after their impromptu meet in front of the convenience store that Lexie had invited her for one of the sharing sessions held at the town’s public library.

“So, how are you today?” Lexie asked with a kind smile as they walk towards the building.

“I’m still hanging in there.” She said not wanting to overshare with Lexie.

“I hope you feel better after tonight.”

“I hope so too.”

There was a small group of people already gathering in the open space in the library. Charlotte saw chairs lined already, not in a circular shape but like in a traditional classroom. She already knew that she was going to take the back seat and just listen. Charlotte was feeling better already because earlier she was not sure about visibly exposing herself in front of strangers.

Three chairs were in front. On the side of the room was a long table with drinks and snacks. People were talking, hovering around each other before someone greeted them.

“Lexie, it’s nice of you to join us. And who’s this?” An older lady with a kind smile on her face greeted both Lexie and Charlotte.

“I’m Charlotte, her friend. I’m here to…” She hesitated for a second before the older woman stepped in and introduced herself.

“Well… Charlotte, I’m Gabby. I’m here as a counselor from Dr. Walter Hayes’s clinic. What we are having here is a casual gathering, where we respect everyone’s privacy.” She paused to put her hand on her shoulder, calming her nerves. “There’s no pressure. We don’t need you to explain anything to us, some people just like listening to others. You can be one of them. We’re here to support everyone.”

Charlotte felt relieved immediately. Gabby, the older woman put her hand on her arm and ushered her to an empty seat since they were about to start. Charlotte was glad that she was sitting on the back along with Lexie who was chatting with another woman on her other side. They were whispering and Charlotte knows not to eavesdrop as she concentrated to listen to the speaker up front.

“Okay people, please have a seat.” Gabby waited for everyone to take their seats before continuing. “We have several newcomers joining us today. Once again, I’m Gabby, and I’ll be leading tonight’s sharing session since our brave leader Walter is having much-needed family time. Please, don’t repeat my words to him.” There was laughter from the group. Charlotte felt a sense of genuine camaraderie among them and her smile grew. Her body was already less tense as she made herself comfortable in her seat.

“Okay, so who wants to start the first confession?” She drew another wave of laughter, but then moments later the room went quiet when a man in maybe his thirties stood up and walked towards the empty chair in front of them. Gabby gave the man a friendly hug and told him to take a seat.

“He lost his daughter to an accident three years ago, his wife divorced him and now he’s a recovering alcoholic,” Lexie whispered beside her when the sad-looking man introduced himself to everyone. Charlotte nodded, she appreciates Lexie’s explaining the man’s situation in order for her to comprehend his words.

The hours went by easily, the tight-knit group cheered for every speaker, and one after another individual spoke out their feelings in the confession chair. Charlotte knew that it was not what it was called but it seemed like one. Maybe one day she’d be able to take that seat and talk about her feelings.

*****

Two months later, Charlotte still has nightmares. She was trying to stop smoking and still ate very little. She was losing weight, and depression was slowly creeping in. Her dad had moved back to their childhood home and she had been going back and forth to see him. Mainly because her relationship with Seamus was at a standstill. She needed time and he was keeping himself busy with his dad and their effort to take down the chief of police. Charlotte didn’t want to know. She just wanted everything to end. Though she was not convinced that everything will go back to the way it used to be when it all ended.Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

Weeks after the incident, she knows what Seamus’s family business was all about. Yet, she still loves him unconditionally and she hated herself for that. She didn’t want to let him go. And it frustrated the hell out of her.

Without a job and nothing to do to occupy her time, she was getting bored with her daily life. She still meets up with her friends, though they were getting busy with their lives and sadly Charlotte had too much time on her hands. Her dad provided for her since his funds were accessible again. He had paid what he owed Seamus and gave Charlotte an allowance so she won’t need to get a job.

With her dream of being a professional ballerina still in the gutter, she had been texting Lexie and getting to more meetings. She had befriended Gabby and some of the regulars. She even met Dr. Walter Hayes. The man didn’t even comment on her weight. She knew she had an unhealthy complexion yet the doctor never asked for details aside from small encouragement that she should try the snacks every time they met by the long table for a chat.

Two weeks ago Charlotte did her first brave effort when she stepped forward and told her story. Well, the filtered version of it. She confessed that she was a smoker and was struggling with Anorexia. In another session, she shared that she had trust issues with her fiance and struggled with nightmares after a home invasion incident.

She felt like a heavy weight had been lifted from her shoulder and she did feel better. Afterward, she listened to the others and recognized that she had it good, better than others. Her life was slowly getting back on track. Her dad was free, he was healthy and happy, and they were financially settled. She should be happy too. But the void was still inside her as if she was missing something in her life.

Then one day Gabby asked her to come one hour earlier before the meeting, telling her that she wanted to talk. Charlotte was worried, did she say something wrong in her last confession?

Lexie had assured her that there won’t be any judgment and told her not to worry about Gabby wanting to meet with her. Lexie said to go ahead and do it, and get things over with.

“What’s the worst that can happen?” Lexie said by the end of their call and Charlotte knows that she was right.

So there she was, arriving earlier to meet up with Gabby before the scheduled anonymous meeting.

“Charlotte, thank you for coming. I could tell that you’re nervous.” Gabby put her hand on Charlotte’s shoulder before telling her to take a seat. “I’m sorry if I make you second guessing yourself, so I’m just going to get it out there.” She smiled and put her hand on hers.

“Walter and I have been talking about you and we would like you to be more involved in the meetings.”

It surprised the younger woman. Nothing had prepared Charlotte for that, but Gabby only laughed softly at her.

“Dear Charlotte, I couldn’t believe it myself either. When I first saw you I knew that you were going to be one of the toughest ones to crack. I could recognize the walls you built around yourself. But I believe that one day you will talk. You were so brave when you decided to do it, and now you even looked healthier.”

“But I’m still struggling. I still have a hard time convincing myself that I need to eat. I’m not sure, I can be what you expect me to be.”

“Charlotte, honey, as I said on the first day that we met, there’s no pressure. But I noticed that you like being around people, and you are a good listener. This is an unpaid position, volunteer work that we offered people who might be interested, who we think are suitable for the job. More so, Walter was sure that by giving you this responsibility we might keep you busy and finally focus on your recovery.”

Charlotte kept on listening, her palm was getting damp as she tried to keep her anxiety low. But there was something more budding from inside her. Curiosity. A new chance. A job prospect?

Seeing the sparkle in Charlotte’s eyes, Gabby continued talking. “Doctor Hayes is a man with very few words, but he knows how to read people and he’s rarely in the wrong. So, what do you say? Do you want to give it a try?”

Doctor Walter Hayes who Charlotte learned from Lexie had a beautiful small family of four. He’s married to a beautiful younger woman who has six sense abilities. The good doctor preferred to be called Walter. He worked in a big hospital downtown as a well-known psychiatrist. He had a small clinic and established a reach-out program for people who didn’t want to be listed as patients but needed a support group.

Walter, the brave leader Gabby mentioned to everyone on the first day she attended the meeting had talked to her. He too didn’t pressure her into speaking out. Charlotte liked him because of it and she feels comfortable to keep coming back regularly to attend the meetings.

“W-what would I do?” Curiosity got the best of her.

“Well, helping me get people settling in on every meeting. Introducing yourself to new people. Nothing hard, just be your welcoming self and listen to other people like you always do.”

She can do that, she thought.

That day, for the first time in what felt like a very long time, she came back home with a genuine smile on her face.