I see the SMIRK on her lips. I sat calmly in an oversize chair across from my patient. She was difficult to read, with trembling hands tucked in her hair, and eye contact was almost non-existent. Kaylee embodied someone with a personality disorder. It was now my job to unravel the layers of distrust she had tangled up inside herself. Kaylee was a charming yet mysterious defense lawyer in Forks, Washington, who came to see me for therapy.

Kaylee was not about to let her GUARD down. She had too much at risk here, telling a stranger how she felt. She was here for the drugs. The girl needed the medicines. She couldn’t get the script without seeing someone first. So, here she was…

How am I going to make it? Kaylee asked herself.

Here it was, the second week of the month, and she only had limited resources. She felt alone. She asked herself question after question in hopes that the solution would pop into her head. Maybe a miracle of resources she wasn’t aware of as she flipped side to side in her bed? Kaylee was exhausted when her resources were at their minimum. The day was Monday, a couple of days after her appointment.

She paid a quick visit to the pharmacy. Then she plopped on her bed again to survey the medicine she had been prescribed. “These will help,” she said. She walked to the bathroom for a glass of water to take with her medicine. Falling back into bed, she grabbed her novel from the nightstand to read for a while. The hope of distracting herself from her problems. Reading usually relaxed her. Even if it was thirty minutes to an hour, somehow she became so relaxed. Eventually, Kaylee fell asleep.

Not much time had passed during her nap. She began dreaming of how she lost her job as a defense lawyer. It was so unfair. The person she was defending at the time pleaded guilty. However, she was sued by the victims’ families for leaked evidence of the crime scheme. Something that she felt she had no control over. Her office was broken into, and the paperwork she had on the case was stolen. Her mental health declined. Along with mental issues, she was faced with physical issues from an old injury to her back. Those injuries made it impossible to keep her focus at work. Therefore, her business lost clients, which meant her resources dwindled. No money coming in meant all the money she had saved up soon became less and less. Kaylee was facing minimal resources. She was only able to afford her house and a few other necessities. She lived in survival mode. Losing her job left her desperate. However, being able to afford the medicine prescribed by a licensed doctor improved her situation. At least she thought it would give her clarity about the next step she needed to take.

A nap refreshed Kaylee. Plus, the medicine she was prescribed gave her a brand new perspective on handling her situation. Prayer, purpose, and persistence are how she would face her life as it was these days. She will not quit. That was her pep talk. She will not FALTER. But first, she wanted to fix something to eat. Her stomach growled with hunger.

#FOWC