Why? Alex asked himself. Why did I agree to this?
"Alex?" the woman said. "Are you alright?"
"Yes, I'm fine," Alex muttered.
The woman hung onto his very word. Her fat, brightly painted lips reflected the light in the most irritating way possible, not to mention how her voice – never mind her words – grated on Alex's nerves. "No, Alex. You're clearly in denial right now. See, you just said, 'I'm fine', but it's very clearly not true. Otherwise, you wouldn't be here."
Alex massaged his temples. Yes, the psychiatrist was right – except that was a common pleasantry. He just wished she'd leave him alone.
"Alright. So how do I get better?"
"It's a long, involved process. You have to realize how you're feeling, first of all. Then you have to accept it."
Alex sighed. His uncle had taught him this. "I did that. Every single time something bad happened to me." When it looked like the woman was going to contradict him, he blurted out, "Then, what does one do after they've accepted all the bad things in life?"
The woman looked surprised. Her eyes distinctly reminded Alex of cockroaches, except the insect was probably prettier. "Aren't you sad?"
Then her persona changed entirely. Her lips pursed, and she looked like a monkey imitating a puppy-dog face. And her eyes filled with pity. Alex's eye twitched in frustration. With a sickeningly sweet tone, she murmured, "Alex, you don't have to be strong in front of me. You can let those tears fall."
"Oh, for crying out loud!"
Thanks to With The What Now for beta-reading!