Shorty knocked on the office door softly. He'd thought it was a brilliant idea at the time, but now that he was actually coming to his appointment with the school counselor, he couldn't seem to get a hold of himself.
"Come on in." A man's voice called. The boy opened the door slowly, stepped inside and closed it.
"We meet again." Adam Birch smiled at him, obviously pleased to be counseling someone he already knew, instead of a complete stranger about to die from the jitters before his first date.
Shorty's eyes widened. "You're... I had no idea you worked here!" Shorty sat down, interlaced his fingers and leaned back. "Well, that makes it a lot easier."
Adam shrugged. "You never asked what I did for a living. I don't blame you, really..." He pulled out a notepad and pencil from a drawer in his cheap office desk. "It's a really boring question."
Shorty smiled a little at that.
"So, now I get to hear what you do for a 'living', eh? What've you been up to lately, David?"
"Well," the teen's nervousness returned. Where should he begin? "My dad's been dating this lady for a while now... her name's Willie."
Adam placed his elbows on his desk and leaned forward, placing his chin in his cupped hands. He certainly didn't act like a normal counselor. Not any Shorty remembered hearing about, at any rate.
"Go on?" he prompted, writing something down. No doubt Willie's name.
"Well, he wants to marry her. I have two problems with that. No, three really." Shorty couldn't believe he was actually presenting his problem in such a calm manner. This was definitely a good idea, if only so that he could let it out. "First problem:"
Adam made a quick mark on the tablet and looked up.
"I am afraid that.. it might not work out. That they'd get married and then separate. If that happened, they'd never come back together again, I just know it. Why bother, if they know marriage wouldn't work?"
"That's a pretty mature view." Adam commented.
"Next problem: I'm afraid Dr. Jones only wants to marry her because she's pretty. I mean, not completely for her looks, but you know." Shorty thought a moment, obviously trying to think of a good way to present his thoughts. "Like, he doesn't actually love her... Maybe he hasn't actually thought about it hard enough, I guess is what I'm trying to say."
"How long have they been together?" Adam asked, writing faster now.
"Well, when I was about nine was when they met. They separated about a month after. They just got back together a year ago."
"That's a long time to know each other. Twelve years. Wow."
Shorty calculated for about five seconds, then blushed as Adam gave him a smug wink. "If we're going by the age you told me you were when we first met."
"No, I'm eighteen." There, he'd admitted his lie.
"I know." Adam passed Shorty a card, which contained a collection of information on a 'David "Shorty" Jones',
"So, anyway." Adam began writing again. Shorty was confused. He hadn't said anything yet, what was Adam writing? The teen leaned forward as inconspicuously as possible. What he saw almost made him laugh out loud. His companion was drawing an elephant. It had ears that dragged on the ground, and gigantic bug-like eye balls.
Adam looked up, right into Shorty's eyes. The boy quickly regained his former position. "Anyway." Adam repeated, scribbling out his doodle. What a waste, it was a good picture. Shorty couldn't help thinking.
"Are you new to this job?" Shorty asked accusingly.
"Maybe." Adam was wearing a very stubborn poker face.
"Ok, where was I?"
"On to the third problem." Adam reminded him.
"Right. Third problem," Shorty quickly resumed his calm but bold mood, "I think that Dr. Jones is only marrying her because he's trying to force himself to stop thinking about a certain someone else."
Adam wrote something down and then looked at Shorty. "Yes? Do tell."
"You sound like an old lady from the gossip chain." Shorty rolled his eyes.
"Sorry. Go on?" Adam was obviously enjoying himself.
"He once told me, and only once, mind you, about a woman named Marion Ravenwood. When he spoke about her, he seemed so... distant, as if he were there with her, instead of sitting there with me." Shorty shrugged, trying to think what else to say. "I think he still loves her, from back when they were together, many years ago now."
"How long ago?"
"I'm not sure, sorry. But at least ten years, more, I think."
"Ok, so those are your concerns. Here is what I classify them under:
Problem one: Dependency threatened, since you don't want to lose her, correct?" Without waiting for a response, he continued, "Problem two: Concern for another's well-being, as well as your own, really, because you're worried about having a quiet household."
Shorty nodded. That's what he meant, exactly. Shorty had the 'concerns', and Adam had the words to express them.
"Problem three: Doubting another's choice. You're worried that your father is not making a good choice." Adam set down his pad. "Is there anything else you'd like to discuss?"
"No, not really. The rest of my life is fine right now." Shorty smiled wryly. "But I'll keep you posted."
"All righty, then." Adam stood, sticking the notepad in his shirt pocket. "If that's all, you can go now. Come again, Wednesday at two, if that fits." He smiled, opening the door for Shorty. "Oh, and could you let your father know I'd like a word with him when he's handy?"
Shorty nodded. Dang. He'd just gotten rid of all that anxiety, but now it flooded right back, resting on his shoulders once again. What would Dr. Jones think of all this? Would Adam actually tell his dad about 'problem three'? That was one that Shorty had never intended to voice allowed in the first place, let alone allow the archaeologist to find out about...