CORRIDORS OF HEALING

The following week, on Wednesday, Lisa made it to her session thirty minutes early. When she arrived, she took a seat in the waiting room. It was a quiet room with whitewashed walls and beautiful vases standing in all four corners.There were framed motivational quotes hanging on the wall. Lisa thought they were lovely. She picked a magazine to read but instantly, Dr Ansah stepped out of her consulting room in the company of tall dark-skinned handsome gentleman.

She was next, she thought and stood up. She acknowledged the man with a slight nod, smiled at Dr Ansah and found her way into the consulting room. Dr Ansah and the man talked quietly for a while and soon Dr Ansah returned to the consulting room with her warmest smile. She squeezed Lisa’s shoulder gently before taking her seat.

She asked Lisa how she was doing. Lisa answered in the positive and went ahead to give a detailed account of her week. She told the doctor she had started writing again; nothing big, just a short story she was trying her hands at.

If it went well, she would try another one, she said and Dr Ansah complimented her, “Very soon, everything else will fall in place” As Dr Ansah spoke, Lisa listened and nodded. She loved coming for her sessions. They were filled with insights that helped her make better choices.

She also gave an update on her dieting journey and it was clear to see she was on track because she was losing weight. She was happy with herself. Her smile was fuller and her eyes shined.

She went on to tell Dr Ansah about the books she was reading. The doctor agreed the titles were excellent self-help books. She encouraged Lisa to continue with her new habits and for some time, enlightened her on the benefits of meditating and journaling.

The session came to an end and they said goodbye to meet again on Friday. Lisa spent the rest of the week going to work, finding time to write and generally, being positive. She managed her eating habit well, and spent forty minutes at the gym, before and after work.

****

On Friday afternoon, she found her way to her session. When she got there, the tall handsome man was seated in the waiting room, his left leg falling gorgeously over the right one as he read a magazine. He was in a white long sleeves shirt, blue jeans and brown shiny shoes.

When Lisa entered the waiting room, he lifted his eyes lightly, acknowledged her with a smile and a nod. She took her seat in the sofa standing next to the single one he was occupying and wondered if he had a session with Dr Ansah, and at what time exactly, because to the best of her knowledge, her session was due in thirty minutes.

Maybe his session was after hers, she thought. The man lifted his eyes again and said; “I don’t have a session with Dr Anna today” as if he read her mind, “I’m just here to pick some books. I’m sorry for any inconvenience,” referring to his presence which may seem like an intrusion.

“That’s okay, I’m sure the books are important for you to have,” Lisa assured.

The door that led into the consulting room opened soon after and Dr Ansah stepped out with a young lady who looked younger than Lisa. Lisa guessed the girl was nineteen or twenty.

The doctor hugged her gently and told her to take care of herself. When she gave them her attention to Ato and Lisa, they were both standing. She thought they looked like a beautiful young couple.

She smiled at the thought and pushed it away immediately. She apologized for the delay, urged Lisa to go in and take a seat and told Ato to give her a minute. She stepped inside with Lisa and retuned with Ato’s books. She had a few words for him and he was on his way.

Lisa and Dr Ansah had a wonderful session when they sat down to interact— she talked about the books she was reading, the new things she was learning and how her writing was improving.

In fact, she had finished writing the first story and was in the middle of a second one. She felt nothing could pull her down anymore, because every day, she was gaining a deeper sense of self, knowing that she mattered and everything she allowed into her life must replenish, instead of diminishing her.