This is Joey's recollection of his first time meeting Meredith.

"Hello sir, your name must be Frank." I shake my newest client's hand. "We will get started in a minute please have a seat." I walk over and close the door to my small and minimal office. "Would you like something to drink or a bite to eat?" I grab my previously made cup of black steaming coffee and a granola bar. Patients won't take advantage of the snacks if I don't either and snacks tend to benefit in relaxing them.

"Uh, a cup of water would be nice," Frank answered as he sat down.

"Alright," I answer as I grab a pack of crackers and his water. I don't want to push anything onto my clients but I don't want them to feel one way and say another other. Therefore I like to give them more than what they ask just in case. They should feel completely relaxed and at home with me for them to achieve the best results.

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All first appointments are done in my office. If the client likes my method I will then do home visits or meet them someplace they feel completely comfortable. Being a mental therapist has shown me the world from another perspective. An invisible illness can be hard to see based on a person's looks and actions. You have to really dig deep inside their mind. Most adults who have been dealing with anxiety, the most common mental disorder, have been hiding it away for many many years. They become a great actor and their whole life is an act. They mimic others because they are unsure of the way of life. Now I know this is deep stuff but if I had not been in the profession I am in I wouldn't have come across Meredith. In truth, she is the most fascinating girl I have ever met.
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I walked briskly in the crisp fall air to the front door of my condo. My keys jingled as I turned the silver one inside the doorknob. With a crack, the door opened as if the place was taking in a sharp breath as the cold air rushed in.

I don't make too much money, but the one luxury I allow myself is a nice warm condo. It had an upstairs and a basement. There is currently an ad online for my rentable upstairs. I use the ground floor, and the basement is where I store things for the rental floor.

As I walked through the door I could feel the warmth of the working heating system. I hung my coat on the peg in the small, but neatly kept, foyer. It was a chilly day in New York City. Not a day that you would like to spend outside. New York was nice when it was cold but sunny. Not when it was dark and dreary. It's been snowing almost nonstop for the past three days and I think I will go crazy from lack of sunshine. I always need a bit of sunshine in my life. It could be literal, or in the form of coffee with that fancy almond milk and a dash, not a scoop or a sprinkle, a dash of sugar. So that is what I made after I got home. My coffee was my sunshine today.

I did my usual tidying and an evening workout in the basement. Working out helps me clear my head and I also enjoy the challenge. I like to have a smoothie or a green juice afterward to cool me down and refresh my body. My blender had broken and I was out of packaged juices so I decided to walk to the small convent store down the street.

It was dark out and cold but the snow had subsided for the hour. I was still covered in sweat but I bundled up in a lined corduroy jacket and my joggers. We all have cravings right? I thought an adventure out of the house might be fun.

As I stepped out of the condo the sweat on my forehead froze in the frigid air. It was only a five-minute walk but seemed to last an hour. I regretted my decision to leave and almost turned back but something kept me going. I just assumed it was my silly craving for a green juice but I know now that it wasn't my taste buds that drew me to that rundown and dirty convenient store.

The little bell rang as I walked in. My hair was now frozen stiff and I shivered from the warmth of the store. A few random strangers wandered the store. One looked homeless, another searching for something in a frenzy. A woman and her daughter hurried in and straight to the back restroom. The owner was nowhere to be seen.

I looked around a bit before making my way with long strides to the refrigerated section. I enjoyed people watching. Trying to figure out who they were and why they are in the same place as I. It is just a part of my job. The part that drew me to it. I found my way to the juice section and bought a variety of different blends. The new fancy blender was so tempting to buy but I was trying to wait and save up.

As I wandered over to the check out counter and rang the germ-infested bell on the counter multiple times, an employee sauntered out of the back and checked me out. The bell on the door rang again when I left the place.

I took one step before I started to jog my way home. When I took that single step I saw a movement out of the corner of my eye. I stopped and turned towards the shadow beside the small building. Something inside me told me to move towards it and find out what it was. As my boots crunched in the snow, I saw a bare hand move. I rushed to the person. I found a girl. She was hard to see because she was hiding in the shadows. In my childhood, I had a traumatizing experience with a stranger so when my instincts said anything but "run" I was confused but I followed them.

"Can I help you?" I asked the shivering figure. She didn't move but her glistening eyes stared into mine and I suddenly understood her story. At least the story of her yesterday. "Come with me. My place is safe and I have a room you can have all to yourself." I offered her one of my drinks and my scarf. She didn't move or make a sound. I didn't expect her to trust me, she had every reason not to. I left my scarf and the juice by her and walked off. Her story was sad and full of embarrassment.

I was deep in my thoughts when I realized I was being followed. It was the girl. I let her follow behind me all the way to my door and there I waited, door open, for her to enter. She came in slowly and I shut the door but left it unlocked so that she could leave at any moment if she wished. When she walked into the light of the foyer it was evident that she was last night's victim.

Fighting my wish to tend to her wounds both physical and mental, I led her to the neatly made room upstairs. I showed her where the bathroom and shower was and told her to let me know if there was anything she needed. I wanted to offer her space to herself and that she would not feel evaded by the millions of questions I had.

That was our first meeting. I brought in what I thought was just a victim of the night, but she turned out to have many more names. Some were full of guilt and others were full of beauty.
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Hello lovely readers!  I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Joey and Meredith's story is such a beautiful one but like all beautiful stories, it has its battles and its scars. Healing takes time, patience, and love.

I have so many wonderful friends who are battling so much right now and this story is for them. In my bio, I dedicate this story to the lonely one, the silent one, and the one scared stiff. If you can relate to this story in any way than this story is for you.

You are loved, you are lovely, and I love you!

Much love,
Charlotte Rose - Jan 2018