Blankish Slates | Moonfall Vol. II

The Session

Jimmy entrenched himself in the couch, turning it into his fortress, and a battle station if need be. Sitting in the armchair across from him was Maxine Winters, a zebra in a tropical green and black suit and skirt ensemble. For the past forty-five minutes, he waged a war of silence with her, and as far as Jimmy was concerned, he was winning.

Admittedly, Maxine's office was quite cozy. With remarkably comfy furniture, a turquoise area rug reminiscent of the ocean on a bright summer day, scented candles filling the room with the smell of cedar, and sunlight filtering through the curtains ever so softly, it was a disarming zone of tranquility. And that's exactly why Jimmy wasn't letting his guard down.

Maxine lifted her clipboard to jot something down. It wasn't the first time, and Jimmy's curiosity was starting to give way to simmering aggravation. What could she possibly be writing down when he gave her nothing to work with? He leaned forward and stared down the clipboard, willing it to turn just enough for him to see what was on it right before the zebra dropped it in her lap and looked directly at him.

"Jimmy," she said, nearly startling him. "I understand you haven't had much luck with therapy recently."

"These things don't go so well for me. My first therapist ended up referring me to my second after a death in their family—which I'm pretty sure they faked—and the second up and ghosted me after our first session. The third called me a dumpster fire with skinny legs and then extorted me into a nice retirement for himself."

"It was courageous of you to reach out to make this appointment and come here today. That tells me some part of you still believes in this. I'm proud of you. Seeking help even after those setbacks isn't easy."

"You're proud of me? Lady, you don't even know me."

"That'll change soon, hopefully."

Jimmy met her optimism with silence. After another minute of the silent treatment, Maxine changed her approach.

"I heard you're a man that likes to get his money's worth. Whether we talk or not, I still get paid for this session."

Jimmy ran his claws through his mane, letting out a fusion of a growl and a sigh. "Alright! What do you want to talk about?"

"That's up to what you're comfortable discussing."

"I never know where to start with these things! You're the therapist! You figure it out, okay!?"

"Well, why don't we start from the beginning and talk about your childhood?"

"I don't want to talk about that."

"How about your daughter? How is your relationship with her?"

"I ain't talking about that either!"

Maxine paused as if bracing herself. "What about your wife? How have you been coping over the years? All of Redshore mourned Mercedes Crystal after she..."

Jimmy's glare burrowed into Maxine like hooks, he knew that much since it silenced her, even if she didn't appear shaken.

"Is there something that you do want to talk about?" she asked, pivoting. "A recent, maybe very public event that happened to you?"

She wasn't as clever as she thought she was, but Jimmy knew there would be no progress if he never gave therapy a real try. He'd have to talk about something.

"You know that thing they said I did on the news? That I got arrested for?"

"That thing?"

"You know what I'm talking about."