Friday Night Dinner

counsellor please

"Knock knock!" Jonny opened the door for me.

"You know you don't have to lower yourself...or say the words knock knock," he messed up my hair. I made a bunch of brownies for dessert because Martins health is well out of order again. No doubt hell try and steal some tonight though.

"Hi love, hi Jonnyboo. Ooh brownies very nice, I'll go put this in my hiding spot in the fridge," Aunty Jack took the tray.

"Fruit and veg drawer?" I joked but she replied with a yes so Martin really must not ever look in there. Jonny walked into the lounge and power walked straight back out.

"Put your jacket back on! Quick!" He rushed me and reached for his.

"What? Why? I just got my muddy boots off," I began to complain. Adam tried walking in at that moment so I got pushed into Jonny.

"Pusface, get out. Now," Jonny tried pushing us both outside.

"What are you doing? You lunatic!" Adam complained.

"Oh good you're all here. This way please," Aunty Jack slyly directed us to the lounge. There was a woman in there, mid 50s maybe, kind of looked like the type of person to blame her horoscope for spitting on you. The boys walked ahead of me so I was last to sit. Martin looked miserable, not in a ' Oh no a big talk about Dads health is coming, is he gonna die?' It was more a 'please let me die because what we're about to do I ridiculous'.

"What's going on?" I muttered to Jonny.

"Pusface, you remember Dr. Brownstain-I mean Stein-sorry old habit," he introduced. Aunty Jack shot daggers at Jonny while Martin bit his tongue trying to laugh at his sons toilet humour. The atmosphere was getting tense, the lady was fighting back to urge to snap back at the shits next to me.

"Doctor?" I spoke before she could. What the fuck do I say now? "You have a doctorate?" She nodded once.

"Yes. I completed my Bachelor's at Oxford and my Masters at Cambridge" I nodded at her response. I had to think of a way to get out of this room.

"I too went to university,"

"Oh really what did you study?" She seemed intrigued. The boys laughed.

"Oh boy. English," I couldn't maintain eye contact.

"Does the fact that I studied Clinical Psychology intimidate-"

"Nope," I hopped up, "clearly this is a family session and since I'm not related to anyone I should-"

"Oh sit down love, I'll go get a snack and some drinks...Adam," Aunty Jack made me sit. We sat in silence, not knowing what to say.

"So did you guys all go to Dr. Brownstein together or?" I shrugged, asking Jonny.

"Yeah," I understood why he was short and blunt with his answer, her eyes were like little beads just following you around. Studying your every move, yet it looked like she wasn't even breathing. Just observing like a vulture.

"So does Jonny actually have an illness or is just thick?" I jokingly asked, she didn't like my little jab.

"Making fun of the mentally ill isn't funny and shouldn't be joked about,"

"Come on I wasn't targeting anyone in particular-"

"You were kinda targeting me," Jonny interjected.

"Adults are talking love," I rubbed my hand to his thigh a few times.

"Oh! You two are a couple," I couldn't pick out the tone on that. Not enough inflection to be question but not high enough to seem surprised. She was more confirming her suspicions.