(S)talk Therapy

By Vishaal Pathak

 (S)talk Therapy

Smoke rings emanate from a dark corner in the hall and fuse into a spiral.

“I… sometimes feel I am being watched – everywhere. The other day…”

The nice lady turns towards the dark corner. She looks back at me. Shakes her head.

I shift in my chair casually and reattempt, “My boss bullies me a lot. I was bullied as a child too. I have trouble…”

The nice lady slightly raises a finger. We pause. Someone in the corner clicks their tongue twice. She bites her lip and signals for me to try again.

I throw my hands up in the air. “Well…”, I struggle to find the right words. “There is,” I hesitate, “there is anger and rage all around. I… I feel unsafe…”

A member from the panel clears his throat before the nice lady has had a chance to react. He then leans forward – in slow motion. Light trickles on his face and his slicked-back hair. The sound of his throat-clearing reverberates in the hall. He stares intently at me, adjusts the ring on his finger and flicks his cigarette. He doesn’t blink an eye. I abruptly look away.

The nice lady wipes the sweat off her brow and softly calls out my name.

I fall back in my chair. “I… I hate this… chair?”

The nice lady sighs, immediately checks herself and begins, “Sometimes, chairs are not designed to our expectations. However, we must understand…”

The chair squeaks as I lean back further. A tear rolls out. I’m no longer listening.

Vishaal is a writer based in Lucknow, India. He writes mostly about memories, ethics, and time.